Day 3, storms and spiders

As we brought our gliders out to the staging line the clouds were forming quickly to our east. Most of us were worried about over-developement and wanted to get in the air quickly in case the task was called. I was stuck near the back of the line again and waited 30-40 minutes for a tow. Once in the air I found a good climb and was on my way.

While on course I noticed rain showers behind me at the airport and a few scattered east of me. No big deal and I kept pushing on. Then, I started watching a large storm up ahead right on courseline. I decided I could keep going and would just keep an eye on it. Coming up on the town of Lamesa the storm continued to grow and then I noticed a HUGE gust front kicking up thick dust, completely engulfing the town. I was at 8,500ft and could see the dust line for miles to the north and south. Just then I heard over the radio that the task had been called. Having never been in this situation before I got quite nervous and wasn't sure what to do. The only thing I could think of was to run from it. I pointed straight west and pulled the speed on.

I don't think I have ever felt so small before. I ran for 10 or 15 miles looking back at this huge, very defined, wall of wind chasing me. Up ahead I saw the only house around and aimed to land there in case I needed any assistance. I arrived with about 500ft and to my surprise, the trees were calm and not blowing. I circled down and had a nice landing in their crop and carried my glider to the road. Looking east I could see the dust coming. I turned my glider around and un-hooked. 2-3 minutes later the gustfront hit.

Before I got close to the storm I had the camera out. Here is a little clip.


Before the flight I found this "little" dude walking around at the airport. Look, he was waving at me.