The barn spiders are now out and growing. This is the first one I've seen so far and it was on the package box. Every spider I see around the farm is eating really well which is exactly what we want them doing, decimating the bug population.

I had to go reseed the yellow crookneck and I went with the Emerald Delight since I know they grow super well.

We were packed up and headed north around 11:30 and got to the lz a bit after noon. The clouds had looked better on the drive up but soon cleared out of the valley.

We drove up to the launch and got out to some pretty solid bouts of wind coming through.

Josh had me climb in my harness so we could work on adjusting it a bit more before the flight.

There was hope of getting up and going xc if the day would work out right.

Me, the far least experienced of the 4 of us pilots, waited for someone else to launch which Levi ended up doing but he launched into a shitty window and caught little to no lift.

I waited a while and finally found the right wind window to launch into.

It was a little funky on take off but I got away from the hill and into the pod with ease. The wing was dancing a bit overhead and I had to keep pressure on both brakes to calm it down and keep it from rolling too much.

I flew out from the hill and was catching some okay lift, with Josh on the radio giving me tips, when it happened...

I was flying back towards the hill when I hit a really strong pop of lift which I rode up but then all of a sudden the right HALF OF MY WING collapsed. I heard the flutter and felt the sudden feeling of falling as I looked up to see the wing flapping over me.

I've not felt that before or had anything near this big hit my wing. I yelled out "OH SHIT!" as I automatically shifted my weight to the left in the harness as I yarded down on the right brake to pop the wing back open.

AND HOLY SHIT did it open! With a BOOM! When it open the wing shot forwards and very quickly I was looking forwards at it. I knew I had to just go with the sudden speed and swing and after I rode it out I worked to get myself stable and flying AWAY from the hillside.

@stryeyz and the boys heard the flapping of the collapse and the sudden BOOM of the wing opening, it was really loud.

That was hands down the most scary thing I have experienced in many many many years. I was 400 feet above the ground when the collapse happened and on the 3 shots below of my tracking you can very clearly see when it happened. All 3 instruments recorded it with the vario showing the most dramatic jump. I was falling at about 2 meters per second before I fixed my wing...

I spent much of the rest of the flight blurting out, "HOLY FUCK!" as the experience washed over me. I found some bit of lift but had seen Levi land and I had not much desire to continue a long flight after the fright. I flew out towards the main landing zone but didn't like the wind direction. I could see the flag pole at the ranch was west so I headed for the pea patch to land.

I flew around the patch to the east side then was able to very smoothly glide down.

I skimmed over the ground just a few feet above it as I glided down the field and landed gently in the bottom where I kept walking my glider until I dropped it in the grass.

It took me a bit to compose myself enough to pack up and walk back to the main lz.

The collapse circled in red. My speed popped there as I swung out of the shooting wing when it reopened. My heart rate boomed then too.

The vario denoting the sudden fall.

And even my phone got it on XCTrack.

@stryeyz and the boys made it down to the lz where we piled us and Mike and Levi in the car and headed back up top to get their vehicles. We headed for home then and once back here more of the veracity of the collapse washed over me. I know I will be doing this in SIV but this was without training in fixing it. Like Gavin says, "it's one thing to do in training but it's another to do it in battle".

I am going to make sure that I learn full stalls in SIV, it's the most assured way of fixing most any problem with a wing.

Got out to soak which was for sure needed. I got my stuff packed for the hike and fly we are going to go do this morning at Scoop since the winds look perfect from the east.

Going for a 3rd flight day in a row today and hopefully a much more enjoyable flight. @stryeyz and the boys will go to Ninja Nation while I am out then this evening I will grill for dinner.

SIGNUP FOR YOUR NEWTON PORTAL ACCOUNT AND WE BOTH EARN!