Philip Lee’s Flight Across California’s Central Valley
JS3 RES pilot Philip Lee of California recently flew from Minden, Nevada to his home field of Hollister, California by executing a brilliant (and seldom-attempted in the soaring community) glide across California’s Central Valley. He conservatively elected to depart Minden using an aerotow, instead of using the self-launch capability of the RES, in order to ensure maximum high-voltage (HV) battery charge in the event a self-retrieve became necessary during the crossing.
After departing Minden, Philip flew southbound along the stunning Sierra Nevada range until abeam of Moraine Mountain (slightly south of the famous Half Dome), then turned southwest for an extended glide across the San Joaquin Basin (mid-south region of the Central Valley) successfully reaching the Panoche Hills as a stepping stone to the Coastal Mountains, ran southbound to the vicinity of Soda Lake, and then turned northbound towards San Francisco and his home field of Hollister concluding an excellent 7.4-hour flight. Nicely done Philip!
More details about his journey can be found here.
In addition to his soaring achievements, Philip Lee also shares his knowledge and experiences in the world of gliding through his engaging YouTube channel. Be sure to take a look:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn21r5HegLB5Fq8oRzpPe-Q
USA 18m Nationals and the Double-Seater / Open Class “Uvalde Glide” in Full Swing – Uvalde Texas
Jonker Sailplanes is also making a notable appearance at the USA 18m Class Nationals in Uvalde, Texas.
Among the 18m Class pilots, eight out of 24 are flying JS3 sailplanes. As of now, Sean Fidler leads the pack, followed by Sean Murphy flying a JS3, David Greenhill, and David Leonard also piloting JS3s. See the following link for additional information and live tracking: https://uvalde.onglide.com/?className=18meter#
After an immensely successful WGC in 2012, Uvalde Texas will once again host the World Gliding Championships in 2024. As as part of the “2023 Uvalde Glide”, event organizers are also allowing Open Class and Double-Seater Class pilots the opportunity to hone their preparations for next year’s WGC concurrent with this year’s 18m Class Nationals. Excellent work Uvalde!
