Local glider pilot soars to the Mexican border
Soaring temperatures on Saturday, June 21, gave some California
residents something to complain about. But for Eric Rupp, a Soquel
resident who flies sailplanes with the Hollister Gliding Club,
conditions were perfect.
Local glider pilot soars to the Mexican border
Soaring temperatures on Saturday, June 21, gave some California residents something to complain about. But for Eric Rupp, a Soquel resident who flies sailplanes with the Hollister Gliding Club, conditions were perfect.
Rupp completed the longest glider flight that ever originated from San Benito County, reaching the Mexican border after a seven-and-a-half hour flight.
In a conventional airplane, the trip might not have been noteworthy. A glider is an engineless airplane that is towed into the air by a power plane.
“It’s the longest glider flight that originated in the Bay Area,” Rupp said. “Certainly from our club it’s the longest one.”
The 444-mile trip bested the former record by 82 miles.
In addition to bragging rights, Rupp won the Hollister Mad Dash.
The Hollister Mad Dash is an on-going contest through the Hollister Gliding Club. The prize is free tows from Gliding Club owners.
To win, a pilot must fly 10 percent farther than the last winner.
Rupp, 49, beat the former record by more than 20 percent.
The first and last stretches of the trip posed the biggest challenge.
“Heat creates a lot of lift where the air is sort of bubbling off the ground,” Rupp said.
To make time, he took off early in the morning. The cooler conditions were not ideal flying weather.
Staying aloft was difficult for the first hour, Rupp said.
“Towards the end of the flight I started getting really tired,” Rupp said.
To stay relaxed and alert, Rupp chanted to himself as he does in yoga class.
“Here I was 17,000 feet, flying over the amazing Sonoran desert and going, ‘Om,’ alone.”
During his flight, Rupp reached a peak altitude of 17,300 feet. Commercial jets normally cruise at between 20,000 and 40,000 feet, Rupp said.
He could have kept flying into Mexico.
“I was really tired and I didn’t want to complicate things,” Rupp said.
Plus, he did not have his passport.
“That was probably the biggest issue,” Rupp said.
Rupp has tried to reach the border before. About a month ago, he fell short of his goal and landed in the Mojave Desert.
“There’s a lot of snakes and things in the Mojave desert,” Rupp said. “I carry a survival kit, just in case.”
Fortunately, a chase crew was following him – a woman from Hollister picked him up when he landed.
He made another unsuccessful attempt in May 2007.
Weather and luck made the difference, Rupp said.
“We had a real convergence of very strong weather conditions and someone who’s crazy enough to try it, or keep trying it, as it is,” Rupp said.
On his most recent trip, Rupp was lucky enough to have his brother Loren following him on the ground.
Without that luxury, Rupp makes his way back as best he can.
“I call it adventure part B, when I land in some dusty runway somewhere,” Rupp said.
Sometimes, he can find a ride with residents from whatever rural town he lands in.
“They don’t get a lot of visitors, but they’re universally very friendly and helpful,” Rupp said. “Occasionally, I stick my thumb out and get a ride at a truck stop somewhere.”
Although Rupp started flying in 1977, he has been flying unpowered craft since 1999. When he’s not in the air, he’s a businessman who runs a string of coin-operated laundries.
“With a sailplane, every flight is different,” Rupp said. “Every flight is a challenge.”
Reaching the border was the fulfillment of a dream and a fantasy, Rupp said.
“People who have been wanting to do this a long time have been joking that this would be the ultimate,” Rupp said. “And now it’s happened. I’m more than fortunate to be the one who did it.”
Rupp does not know when someone will break his record.
“We’ll see who the next person is to make the next long flight out,” Rupp said. We’re all kind of competitive, so you never know.”
