Surfing the North Shore...

[Drzook]

Just thought I would share...I spent last weekend getting a slope data file built up for the entire island of Oahu on CCS 2004 so I could try some ridge running along the Wai'anae and Ko'olau ranges.
Found that a winch launch to 1500 feet at the abandoned strip at Kahuku won't get me to the Ko'olau mountains, at least not with a vintage glider (might get a good view of the nudist colony however ), but a winch launch to 1500 feet at Dillingham...well that's a different story.
I was able to ride the slope lift to almost 3700 feet in my antiquated ASW-15. That's only 300 feet from the top of Mount Ka'ala!
The following screenies are showing me circling Ka'ala. I think if I tried again I could do it but I was just so excited about the slope lift working I headed back after taking the screenshots.
The ASW-15 (Wolfgang Piper's) is much modified (panel, paintjob, et cetera). I also put in a functional water ballast system as well. I had a blast on this flight...for the most part it was like I was on the ragged edge of stalling out while trying to find lift all the while trying to avoid hitting the mountainside or the errant palm tree. When one considers that I gained over 2000 feet in altitude without using any gas...the mind just boggles.

 

[SSI01]

Very familiar with that area, lived on Oahu for 4 years. Did you make it to the Omega radar station on top of the mountains?

 

[Maarten -]

Fantastic! Loving the real thing, but this looks amazing too! Wow!

Cheers,
Maarten

 

[Drzook]

Very familiar with that area, lived on Oahu for 4 years. Did you make it to the Omega radar station on top of the mountains?

Didn't make it to the top just yet; when those screenshots were done I was just starting my downward leg (all the while thinking 'OMG!!! I just rode an updraft escalator to 3700 feet!!!) I was only 300 feet from the top.
While I am certain that a newer bird such as an ASH-25 or ASW-28 could more readily do the job this ASW-15 just seems to have more...panache. The trick is to start with no water in the tanks (or in my case dump all the water after takeoff because I forgot), that way you get more lift due to less wing loading. Granted, it makes for a very slow glider but I was going for altitude, not speed.
I will give it another go tonight after work; wish me luck!

 

[Drzook]

...A few attempts later...

...and I STILL haven't made it to the top of Mount Ka'ala.:isadizzy:
So far I've crashed the ASW-15 a couple of times, the ASW-28 literally crashed and burned, and the DG-101G also crashed (I'm most upset about that one; I had made it about halfway up; determined the lift just wasn't there, had turned towards home; got tempted by a thermal...then crashed about a half mile from my airfield).
As much as I wanted to conquer Ka'ala with a 15m Standard glider I knew I had to bring out the big guns...
I tried Wolfgang Piper's ASH-25 but for some reason it shakes like a paint mixer (both VET and Winde versions) at any speed above 70 knots and I KNOW that's not accurate. Had to abort the flight.
I then tried the ASW-20 (also a Wolfgang Piper masterpiece), a 15m flapped glider. Considering I don't know how to use flaps in a competition type glider I think I did rather well. The screenshot provided was made right when I zoomed over the ledge and was careening headlong into some palm trees. I had paused the sim, took a screenshot and resumed knowing full well those palm trees were gonna get me. They didn't though. I yanked the flap handle to the 'L' for land setting which gave me just enough lift to avoid the trees, go over the cliff and at that point I hot-footed it home to Dillingham.:cost1: First glider flight in two days that didn't end with a crash!!! This flight got me within 200 feet of the top (about 3800'+) so I am pretty sure it can be done. The ASW-20's getting a new paintjob at some point; I'm liking it!

 

[Drzook]

I DID IT!!!

There I was, trying out several different gliders....I had put Wolfgang Piper's Libelle through its paces and was not seriously thinking of an attempt on Ka'ala. After all this plane didn't have a wind direction gauge and it was kind of slow. However on the return trip to Dillingham I hit a thermal which brought me up from 700' to about 2700'. At this altitude I could ride the ridge running from Dillingham to Ka'ala, and the wind happened to be running perpendicular to the ridge which got me some pretty good ridge lift all the way to the mountain. From there I was able to go over the spot where I almost crashed the ASW-20 in the last post--in the other direction. A couple of minutes later I was cresting the top of the mountain...and it was good:USA-flag:. One thing however...there was no radar station up there. Might have to get some better scenery for this area. In any case I took a couple of pics at the top...hope you all like them. Best part is that I made it back to Dillingham in one piece

 

[SSI01]

Getting back in one piece sure helps!

This old Wolverine can recall visiting Wheeler AAF while on business and having a couple of Army NG pilots tell me about someone's derelict car that got hoisted up there (Ka'ala) years ago (70s?) with a HI NG Chinook, as a practical joke. Some time after being told that story I was up with a friend in a USMC CH-53E from Kaneohe and mentioned that vehicle. The crew knew exactly what I was talking about and we visited the site. It was still there (about 1998 or 1999).