Remarkable Patagonian XC flights for Pablo Pontoriero and his Volt 5 #speedmachine

Our Argentine ambassador Pablo Pontoriero recently flew the biggest distance from Chapelco take-off, stepping on the 200km mark. And right before this beautiful free-distance flight, Pablo made an amazing FAI triangle from which he wrote the following account:

The XC flying season in the Andes range, north of Patagonia, is usually quite short. There are three or four months at most, with the potential for good thermals and high ceilings. But Patagonia is also famous for being windy… and yes, there is wind, lots of wind!

So when there is a good day, you need to seize your chance because it is so nice to fly through these landscapes. The complicated weather, the convoluted geography and the number of remote areas transform each XC flight attempt into an adventure.

Even if the flight plan is a day-long flight with retrieve or a closed triangle, we almost always go out with bivouac equipment, prepared to sleep in the mountains (The Sock SL harness is perfect for this!). You also have to have good information about the trails and paths, since there are valleys that are very difficult to get out of; and it is „mandatory“ to have a satellite tracking device, since the phone coverage is pretty bad.

Did I just say „adventure“?!

This spring, the first good days were a long time coming, winter was not over, and when the weather was good, it was too windy for XC flights.

Patience is a good virtue for any pilot, and finally the time came to get excited about the forecast, hoping that the promised day would come true.

Looking at the weather map, we saw that the conditions were much better North of Bariloche. With three friends we planned the trip to San Martín de los Andes, 3 hours from home. We sent messages to the pilots who live there to organize the climb to takeoff at Chapelco Hill.

Several pilots, friends and acquaintances from the area, got together to fly on December, 14th. You could feel the excitement while we discussed the flight plans and without much delay we began the dance of takeoffs.

The air was very nice, the first thermal already left us at a good height to begin with. We left having in mind the idea of ​​making a FAI triangle, but above all enjoying ourselves and trying to stay in the air all day.

The first leg, we flew southwest, following the mountains towards Villa La Angostura, with the route of the 7 lakes on our right. There was little wind and we had it in our favor, we went at a good pace: thermal, glide, thermal… Everything went smoothly. The ceiling was improving with the day, but we also knew that further south, the conditions were going to be poorer. In this area, the views are breath-taking, even though I know the region well, it never ceases to surprise me.

After the first 50 km, I went ahead with Juan Cruz, and we decided to change course, flying east on the second leg of the triangle.

The landscape started to change, we moved away from the mountain range and the forests to get closer to the transitional environment with the steppe (more desert-like). This part of the flight proved us right with our decision. The ceiling improved and we passed 3000 m for the first time in the day. We reached the Paso Córdova route, and we had to make another decision. Because of the timing, we were doubting a little about how smooth the last leg to the North would be. We finally decided not to extend this stretch any further and turn around. This is where Lucas caught up with us and from there we flew the rest together.

On the radio we heard other friends who were choosing alternative routes and having their own twists and turns, some landing earlier than desired, etc. „Adventure“ we said!

The last part of the flight was great! And it was kind of a relief because before that, we sweated buckets! We got low in a valley, afraid of landing short, almost kicking the trees and already spotting where to land. In this nightmare, the ability of my Volt 5 to sniff out thermals was a blessing. We finally saved ourselves with patience and determination and returned to breathe at 3700 meters!

From then on, it was just about pure enjoyment. The last hour and a quarter, we were flying high, at more than 3000 meters, turning only to maintain altitude, take photos and film with Juan Cruz, Lucas and Mateo who had caught up with us.

So we arrived at San Martín de los Andes again, to admire the sunset. We were still in the air when the sun went down to the west of the mountain range, on the Chilean side, with Lake Lacar shining, and we finally landed after 6h 45 minutes of pure Patagonian flight!

Yes, that was an epic adventure!