Inyokern Airport Album - History of Soaring at Inyokern Airport

It was the mid 1940s. People were just recovering from the horrors of World War II and starting to think of other more cheerful things. The Navy had set up business at Inyokern and then moved to China Lake. A B-29 flying out of China Lake on an upper-air-weather investigation project noticed a strange phenomena. He mentioned it to the base meteorologist who had read about something similar in European reports.

Sierra Wave in the Owens Valley
Taken from a WW-II vintage P-38 fighter with engines off and propellers feathered from north of Bishop, California, looking south towards Inyokern.
Photo by Robert Symons (March 5, 1950)

Meanwhile soaring pilots in Southern California, mostly flying WWII surplus sailplanes, were enjoying investigating a source of lift that gave them good flights in the lee of the Sierra Nevada on days when the wind was strong from the west. Specifically, they would often go to Bishop to seek out this as yet not completely understood type of soaring. Bob Symons, based at Bishop, had various contracts involving flying a P-38 - mostly seeking ways to increase water availability in the Owens Valley. He also found himself often rescuing pilots or skiers who unwittingly found themselves stranded in the mountains.

On March 5, 1950, Bob was flying his P-38 and took advantage of this little understood weather phenomenon to try something new. He soared the P-38 with both engines dead and propellers feathered for more than an hour between 13,000 feet and 31,000 feet. Maximum climb rate was 3000 feet per minute. The ground winds were strong and blew the roof off a hangar at Bishop Airport. It was on this flight that he took the famous picture that has appeared in many publications (wind from right to left; west to east).

A Navy Pratt Read sailplane at Inyokern Airport being prepared for flights in the Sierra Wave project (ca. 1951).
Photo from the collection of Vic Saudek and others

He and other soaring pilots got together and decided it was time to organize a formal study of this condition which soon became known as the Sierra Wave. Bob gave his photo to the Navy at China Lake to arouse their interest. Not surprisingly, the experience of the B-29 pilot was associated with the conditions observed by so many recreational soaring pilots. The pilots of the Southern California Soaring Association presented their case to the University of California at Los Angeles. Eventually, the government sponsored a program to learn more about the Sierra Wave by flying sailplanes into it under the sponsorship of the Air Force, UCLA and the Navy at China Lake.

The project people, under the direction of Project Manager Victor M. Saudek, began initial preparations at Inyokern with the help of the Navy. They outfitted surplus sailplanes (Navy Pratt Read) for high altitude flights and tested them at Inyokern Airport.

As the project continued, flights over 40,000 feet became commonplace. The project continued through the early '50s, was extremely successful, greatly increased the understanding of the Sierra Wave, led to improved safety of airliners and other aircraft flying in similar conditions. As a very worthwhile additional accomplishment, Bill Ivans, Larry Edgar, Harold Klieforth and Betsy Woodward set altitude records that were unbroken for many years.

In the 1960s, Joe and Sue Kilgore ran the fixed base operation at Inyokern Airport. Pilots from the San Diego area started coming to the area to enjoy the unsurpassed soaring conditions - both thermals and the now world famous Sierra Wave. They camped out in the hangar overnight and flew their sailplanes during the day. None of this could have happened without the hospitality, enthusiasm and expertise of Joe Kilgore and his wife.

Sterling Starr and Helen Dick set soaring records. The name Inyokern became known and recognized throughout the world as a premier site for outstanding soaring conditions - summer thermals and winter waves.

Local pilots were active in soaring at this time also. There was an enthusiastic glider club at China Lake. They had a building on base devoted to the construction of sailplanes where the members had several Schreder designed sailplanes under construction. They, very unfortunately, suffered a significant loss when a fire destroyed the building and the unfinished sailplanes.

Neil Armstrong, second from right, was one of the experimental rocket aircraft X-15 pilots before he became an astronaut and walked on the moon.
NASA photo (ca. 1960)

Pilots such as Jimmie Craig (also known for piloting balloons), Charlie Drew (an active competition pilot), Doc McEwan and his daughters were well known in the valley and active in sailplane flying.

In the mid '60s a pilot known for other feats enjoyed a soaring flight. Neil Armstrong made his first sailplane flight at Inyokern and became a devotee of the sport. He went on later to own and fly personal sailplanes near his home in Houston. In 1969, he became the first human to walk on the moon.

The first major soaring competition at Inyokern took place in September 1965. Two local pilots competing were Walt Lockhart and Bill Finnegan. Although no records were set, there was some spectacular soaring during this contest.

Along with outstanding conditions, there are often moments of hard struggles to reach the good mountain soaring in this sporting activity. One of the pilots discussed the difficulties of climbing to the top of our spectacular mountains in a sailplane. Paul Bikle, at the time the Director of NASA at Edwards, describes it this way:

By the late '60s and early '70s, soaring at Inyokern had somewhat died out. There was a very active fixed base operator who had primary interest in weather modification with the encouragement of Pierre St. Amand and the financial backing of projects from the base and elsewhere. These pilots traveled all over the world participating in weather modification programs.

Nevertheless, at least three pilots, including Charlie Drew and Ed Hindman, persisted in trying to keep soaring alive at Inyokern. Now and then, it was possible for an individual glider pilot to persuade one of the pilots associated with the charter work and meteorological investigations to check out as a tow pilot and provide a tow. However, these pilots were busy with their funded projects and this did not happen very often.

In the early '70s George Turner and Lee Ammerman started Sierra Soaring. These people had very little previous experience in soaring but started a successful and well-run soaring operation that once again revived the enthusiasm for the sport in this area. At last, the sport of soaring returned to Inyokern with a well-run support organization.

Al Berryman was not a soaring pilot but he had flown his small Cessna airplane in the spectacular Sierra Wave with the engine turned off and gained altitude. He saw an opportunity in the business of Sierra Soaring. After a couple of years, he and partners (BJ Holden, Hugh Helmick, Cliff Chandler and retired Navy pilot Cal Callaway) took over the operation of Sierra Soaring. Thus began several years of activity at Inyokern for the magnificent sport of soaring.

In 1977, they started a series of local contests to encourage pilots to venture into the best part of the sport - soaring cross-country along the fantastic mountain range known as the Sierra Nevada. These contests continued until 1982.

The enthusiasm generated by this energetic group resulted in many soaring records once again originating from Inyokern. (A list of all records made in the area is shown at the end of this article.)

About thirty years after the contest in 1965, pilots again returned to Inyokern Airport (1997) to test their competition skills. Because of Inyokern's worldwide reputation as a great soaring site, several world-class pilots participated. Unfortunately, soaring conditions were below average during this contest. The Competition Director set task distances varying from 200 to 300 miles. In spite of the disappointing soaring, pilots were able to reach 90 mph in the speed tasks.

Sierra Soaring continues their activities at Inyokern Airport with flying on weekends and every other Friday (call for dates and times). They have a two place Blanik L-23 and a single place Schweizer 1-35 available in the club. Private owners fly a Schreder design and a Schleicher two place. Pilots from outside the area often come to start their flights from Inyokern. Sierra Soaring offers demonstration flights and instruction. The phone number for Sierra Soaring is 760-377-5197.

Doug Lamont, for years the editor of SOARING magazine, wrote the following about soaring at Inyokern Airport and the neighboring areas - Soaring offers "a special blend of suspense, high adventure, and magnificence that has an epic and occasionally antic quality. Mix these ingredients and fling them broadcast over the vast panorama of mountain ranges and deserts in the southwestern U.S. and the devotee has no difficulty in savoring the unique flavor of these meets in that most unique of all sports - soaring." *