Sierra weather not something to be trifled with

Soaring record-setter Gordon Boettger had a scare when weather forced his glider down on April 29.

Gordon's a Minden resident who hit the hat trick in 2005 by knocking down three distance records. An airline pilot and former Navy carrier pilot, he's seen his share of tricky landings, but this one took the cake.

He and retired meteorologist Doug Armstrong in Reno had spotted the big wind that was coming down the pike.

"We converse a lot about the weather and are always looking for mountain wave conditions," the pilot said. "We knew there was going to be a big wind event and that it was going to get stronger."

With the help of tow pilot Mike Moore and Soar Minden owner Tony Sabino, Gordon launched at 6:15 a.m. and climbed to 18,000 feet headed south.

"Usually there are mountain wave lenticular clouds to mark the wave and rotor clouds, which look like torn-up cumulus clouds, that mark extreme turbulence," he said.

But the storm was very dry and the usual landmarks were missing, forcing Gordon to feel his way along the Sierra.

"You really have to know your topography well," he said. "But once you're south of Minden, from Topaz through Mammoth, the mountains don't run in a straight line. Because they're not uniform, they throw the wave off. We call it a blue wave situation, and it makes it a lot more difficult to find lift."

Gordon reached the first turn point 10 miles north of Tehachapi in Kern County and turned his glider around for the northern leg.

"I was between 18,000 and 24,000 feet, running at a good clip averaging more than 100 mph, when the winds shifted 50 degrees," he said. "That throws the wave off completely. Also, the wind velocity can change the wave location. If you don't have wave markers, you have to guess where the wave is."

Gordon said the wave in the Owens Valley was blue, straight and strong. He was at 22,000 feet when he got to Mammoth, where the bottom fell out.

"I hit a ton of sink all the way to Lee Vining," he said.

He was facing landing at one of the small runways that parallel the Sierra.

"For the most part they run north-south, and they're unsuitable for gliders to land," he said.

The Lee Vining Airport was no exception and Gordon had to put down his glider in what amounted to a 90-degree crosswind.

"The wind ended up coming in from due west and the runway was at 340 degrees," he said. "Another pilot I talked to said the wind was 70-80 mph. I hit such turbulence that it ripped the instrument panel out of the console, so I had to land with this enormous panel in my lap."

Otherwise the glider came in without damage, but once it stopped, it was rocking so hard Gordon knew he was in trouble.

"The wind was gusting off the left side," he said. "It picked up the whole glider and slid it over 3-4 feet. I knew I had to get out of the airplane because a big wind had the potential to flip the glider over onto the canopy."

Gordon jumped out of the glider and lay down on the windward wing to keep the glider from going over.

He said he was ready to hold onto that wing all day if he had to, but luck was with him in the form of the owner and clientele of the Lee Vining Mobil Station.

Gas station owner Dennis Domaille was up above the airport with his employees watching the wind raise whitecaps on Mono Lake.

"He said it looked like a perfect storm and just as they were looking out, they saw the glider come in and land," Gordon said. "They knew I was going to be in trouble, so they jumped in a truck and jammed down there. He got everyone out of the restaurant and with about eight people pushed the glider back behind the hangar."

He rated the landing as one of the most dangerous he's ever encountered.

"I've flown off carriers, I've been flying gliders for years and this was, by far, the hairiest, most unpredictable landing I've ever had," he said. "The Sierra produces an incredible wave. It can be very rewarding, but it just has to be respected. It's not for the inexperienced. Knowledge of weather is critical to pilots whether power or glider, because it can come back to bite you big time."

n Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier and can be reached at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 215.