Statue of seabird continues its gliding journey across the
country
The journey continues beyond Hollister for the trophy of an
albatross that glider pilots plan to fly around the country.
Statue of seabird continues its gliding journey across the country
The journey continues beyond Hollister for the trophy of an albatross that glider pilots plan to fly around the country.
On Sunday, March 22, local pilot Jonathan Hughes took the trophy of the soaring seabird on his glider from the Hollister Airport to Avenal in the Central Valley. Dubbed “Alby,” the albatross figure is traveling from soaring site to soaring site from the West Coast eastward, hauled by gliding enthusiasts to bring attention to and promote their activity.
The bronze figure was brought to Hollister on March 5 by pilot Buzz Graves, who soared with Alby from Byron to Hollister. The stats of the flights are being tracked online at http://albysvoyage.blogspot.com.
In a Yahoo! chat group discussion posted online, Hughes recounted his trip with a bit of anthropomorphization, saying Alby “enjoyed his stay at Hollister, but … was getting restless and wanted to get going on his journey to the east.”
After being towed four-and-a-half nautical miles northeast of Hollister to catch the closest thermal, Hughes caught a 21-knot wind and climbed to 5,000 feet as he headed toward Los Banos.
“I was finding lots of sink in some areas and not being very high I was a little worried about how easy this flight was going to be,” Hughes wrote. “Every time I found myself in a position where I either needed to climb or head towards my landout option, Alby found a thermal.”
As the glider headed south toward Interstate 5 and past Mercey Hot Springs, flying conditions improved and by the time he reached Harris Ranch, Hughes figured he was in for smooth sailing as he approached Avenal.
A line of rain showers that stretched from San Benito Peak past Coalinga to the foothills east of Avenal caused brief concern, Hughes said, but he soon realized the airport was in the clear.
The pilot said he was “a little concerned about leaving Alby alone” when nobody initially appeared at the airport, but a representative of the Avenal gliding club soon showed up to accept the statue.
An Avenal City Councilmember later arrived “and gave Alby an official welcome,” Hughes reported.
Reflecting on his trip from Hollister to the Central Valley, Hughes said, “although Alby and I only got to fly together for 2.1 hours, we had a good time and I’m looking forward to following his journey as he makes his way across the country.
Alby’s flight has planned stops in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and other southern states.
