DOMUYO STRIKES BACK

ENGLISH

Day looked good, but as it was like the first day after coming back to Chosmalal, it took me 1:30h to get into the glider, preparing all the details, now without the helpful crew that stayed back in Brazil.

The Work trimming the edge of the egine exhaust worked well, now everything was ok with the glider.  The wind was strong on the ground, 20-30kts and the Nimbus 3DM had already taken off, but failed to reach the wave (off the engine too soon), and Cholo with the IS28, had to leave the rope at 2000m, because of the turbulence, could not stay behind the tug plan, he landed soon after.

When I started to taxi to the runway, Custódio (the aerodrome's boss) told me that the Governor's Jet Plane had taken off from Neuquen (the capital) with landing expected in 20minutes. Gave me just the time to take off when I heard them on the radio.

It took me less than 100m to take off, like a lift but the GS was slow.  Engine off at 3000m shortly after the city of Chos Malal, 1200m lost quickly, and relighted the engine again, climbed a little, and soon after I contacted the rotors them up a bit and soon I was climbing smoothly to 6000m in wave. I decided to go north, because there were some beautiful lenticular clouds, vs. south that showed only rotor clouds. As usual I was a little low in Domuyo, not mastering to fly behind this volcano.  Panic button on at 5000m, went tailwind  50-70km/h to leave the high mountains surrounding the volcano, caught the wave again and back to a safe altitude.  Off to Malargue, 220km to the north, I flew smoothly between 5000 and 6500m with good demarcation of the wave clouds.

North of Malargue started to dry up everything again, there were no more clouds for guidance, I decided to go back to the south, flying high until I reached the Volcano Domuyo, again I quickly went below my safe altitude, less than 4000m, could not climb on the rotors near the big volcano, so back to the East, with a strong tailwind arriving near Barrancas (my outlanding spot) less than 3000m (which is ver low to this area), I contacted some rotors and wave again.

Again near the Tromen volcano, which lies close to Chosmalal, a beautiful lenticular raised everything.  I flew a little side by side with the IS28, Hector (from Canaries) and Cholo giving instruction, took some pictures, and 15:00 had to land due to ...physiological issues. A pity, because the day got better by the hour.

I flew a little over 600km, but an Englishman flew 1,400 km from Bariloche, and Ohlmann took off the 14 and still made a 1200km ride !