story with pictures
The weather was superb and though I didn't expect to break Daniel's 216 km (he broke my 201 km a month ago) I wanted to make one more big flight for this year. The next day I had to be in Montana (NW BG) and before that I was busy with students.
So we went to the take off with Avram (another local pilot) and waited decided to wait for the conditions. It was calm and we were wondering if the thermals had started when about 10.00 a sudden north gust came to warn us about the coming north wind later.
I took off and caught the duty thermal above east wind sock. After gaining few hundred meters i headed east in the wind shade of the south side of the the mountain ridge. When climbing the thermals I felt more and more the push of NNW wind at their top part. Surprisingly the strong wind remained higher, while the lower everything was working normally and didn't make falling winds at the south side. About Shipka (50 km) the mountain is lower and because of stronger north I decided to exit the mountain and check the fields bellow. The result was TOTAL SINK and chaotic search for thermal above a plateu NE from Kazanlak. A 100 m above ground I found something to extend my agonizing (sweating like pig and swearing like hell). Then after some scratching 20-30 m above the ground around the E end of the plateu I found the stairway to heaven and joined the Cloudbase Fan Club.
I headed to the southern part of the mountain (next to Maglizh and Nikolaevo - 70-80 km from Sopot). Thermals were coming from the hilly plateu from north and at the end of the mountain I climbed as high as possible as I new the sink and blow in Tvarditza (98 km). Then I pushed the accelerator and started crossing the huge hole. The wind was pushing me toward Zhrebchevo dam, but I managed to avoid it and sticked to some hills E from it. They were so flat that I was almost landed when some 4-5 m/s kicks helped me to stay aloft. They were very punchy and I managed to worked them partly before they gone away. I thought that the coming sink will land me and with little height continued along the little ridge. Around a radio tower I gained sufficient height to glide to the last parts of Sredna Gora mountain and reach the cloudbase again. I noticed a smoke showing W wind and was tempted to join Stara Planina and Sliven but I remembered Orlin's 130 km to Kermen (130 km) and continued flatland flying to the same direction.
No matter how flat is the terrain I could recognize the lower and higher parts of it and even some little hills. Everything was going well when a big crise came: I was working even 1 m/s climbes, searching back or drifting in zero downwind. The smokes bellow were showing random wind directions. Slowly I reached Yambol and though of giving up and visiting some friends there. Further the area was terra incognito but I remembered friends again and decided to continue - in case of landing I can call friends to retrieve me (having friends all over Bulgaria is big thing - thank you guys).
Above the gypsi suburb of Yambol I gained few hundred meters listening the loud wedding music bellow (probably the thermal trigger ;-). Then I was wondering wether to go to Bakadzhitzite hills when some smokes showed me the thermal 2-3 km north in the flat (the flatland part of the flight was easier because of the plenty of bonfires in the fields). Little by little the conditions improved and NE from Bakadzhika I was at cloudbase again (about 2600 m msl). Then the main wind become weaker and more from north. This reduced my ground speed and I started suspecting that sea breeze can cut my thermals. I thought of turning south and hiding behind Strandzha mountain but next day I had to be in the opposite corner of Bulgaria and didn't want to risk with some near Turkish border adventures.
So I continued SE and reached Grudovo. Above the little town there were some small bubles but the smokes around were visualizing sea breeze and I landed east from the town.
I packed and the duty spektators - children told me that there's no transport to Burgas soon. My luck worked again and I got some quick hitch hike. In Burgas I saw local friends, we drunk some rakia and salat and then I caught the night train to Sofia.
When sleeping I was probably smiling from happines because after taking off from Sopot I saw Black Sea.
Nikolay Yotov
Some technical details:
Glider: Trance 27 / Mac Para (I was at the bottom of weight range)
Harness: Race / AVA sport
Instruments: basic vario
Photo camera: Nikon 401s - present from Johannes Damisch
Wind: 5 m/s NNW
Thermals: 2 m/s avg, 6-7 m/s peaks
Cloudbase: 2800 m amsl.
Speed: 25.6 km/h
During the flight I was very concentrated that I didn't need food, water or WC :-)
It was interesting that the 205 km flight lasted 8 hours, while the 201 km record - only 6. This is because before I flew with stronger and full back wind (NW) and during this flight the wind was weaker and from side-back (NNW). The thermal strenght and height was similar in both flights.
