Glider over Lake Powell in Storm

Lake Powell Utah/Arizona is a beautiful but desolate desert landscape of just water and rocks. I flew my high performance glider / sailplane over the lake from north to south on a pretty stormy day and it made for quite the adventure. Landing at Page was not planned but the thunderstorm forced my friend Dan in his glider and me in mine down in strong winds and rain. The people working at Page were incredibly helpful and friendly. They drove up to the runway in a golf cart in the wind and rain to help us to get our gliders off the runway and tied down safely. Tim (from the FBO) was fantastic and even helped to get the airport manager to let us winch launch out of the airport the next day - yes video of that will be coming. :) This was part of a 2,000 miles gliding safari adventure that 2 gliders made around 5 states and the Rocky Mountains. This part was coming closer to the end of the trip and we were tired but excited to be making progress towards home (Nephi, Utah). The views of Lake Powell and the angry storm clouds from the glider are memories I will never forget. What an adventure! I hope you enjoy. FYI - The glider is an ASW27B 15-meter (50 foot wingspan) sailplane that has a glide ratio of 47:1 and a max speed of around 175 mph. It is a pretty amazing machine. Cheers! Bruno

[@dalechannel]

I've been a watcher of your glider videos since 2016 still following and watching in 2023 I never get bored. glad your still making videos.

[@SteFly]

Great video Bruno! I feel the thrill of flying above unlandable terrain :D

[@RickR69]

That final approach right before landing just looks like drifting into a parallel parking spot. Wild stuff.

[@BrunoVassel]

Haha, yeah that was much more of a drift than I normally land. I was stressed by the storm and I guess this is how I flew it under that mental state.

[@RalphLearmont]

So happy to see you back Bruno. That assortment of clouds combined with that menacing landscape is quite something. Loved the zoom effect or however you do it - the way your camera seems to leap forward right up to the instruments. By the way the clarity of those instruments is the best I've seen from all of your videos. Thrilling to watch and hear.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching and for the comments! I am working hard to make new videos as clear as possible. Wish they weren't so dark either. Will keep trying to improve. Cheers.

[@Tepnox]

Stunning view! So glad I can re-fly your flights in MS Flight Simulator in Virtual Reality in a glider. Pretty happy with the feeling of freedom!

[@robertgregory8936]

Thanks for the tip. I’m going to try it with Google Earth.

[@sweetmud1]

Nice to have you back Bruno!

[@Lord08051]

This is simply Great! I am a fighter pilot, but have never flown glider. This is amazing experience! Thank you, Bruno!!!I`m looking forward to your new videos!!!!

[@lnsmman58]

Right on! Hey there Bruno. It's Scott from old. Awesome videos.

[@motosportadv8177]

Looking forward to your future videos 😅👍😄

[@Twobarpsi]

Incredible video Bruno! You and that glider do things I can only dream of!!

[@daxdadog]

Incredible scenery!

[@AbyNeon]

So beautiful!!

[@carveroutdoors]

Unreal views Bruno; thank you so much for sharing!

[@sweetwater5030]

Great to see ya flying again bois!

[@huntera123]

It is always good and appreciated greatly to watch your videos. Thank you.

[@edricketts6887]

Wonderful - thank you

[@rnzoli]

Wow, the welcoming attitude of these guys were amazing! I love that in aviation.

[@naturarum]

pretty impressive drift on base and reassuringly low ground speed on final. love these windy approaches!

[@VinceWaldon]

Yay you're back!

[@Robbo1966]

Great video, havent seen your updates for a while, great vlog as always

[@duanejohnson6271]

Great to see video from you again Bruno! Wow over Lake Powell.

[@shamancredible8632]

I love these types of videos that just show the experience of gliding, without a bunch of video effects and annoying music.

[@PN_48]

Sweet video! The clarity of the instruments was really handy👍

[@brushitoff503]

Fantastic stuff, Thanks Bruno!

[@Kimtwister]

hey bruno awesome to see you flying again lake powell is beautiful and those distant mountains are beautiful loved that boat marina hope to see ya again soon my friend BRAVO 4 ROCKS

[@kevinkc3onohelijeepworld953]

Glad to se you back up enjoying Mother Nature and putting past behind us 😉keep them coming

[@BrunoVassel]

Cheers! Thanks for watching. :)

[@glennandrews7689]

Beautiful landing, Bruno..very nice indeed. Love the Powell/Page area; many pleasant memories from many years ago. :)

[@grabir01]

Fantastic!

[@bored-old-man]

Nice to see a new video. Take away the water and that landscape morphology is Mars!

[@JohnnyFaber]

Love this! Two of my favorite things, Bruno glider videos and Powell. Awesome.

[@BrunoVassel]

You are too kind. Thanks for watching!!! :)

[@gahazebrouck]

Your videos are great Bruno👌 thanks for sharing. I really keep admiring how you fly. The more I learn, the more I realize how incredible it is what you're doing...

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks! :)

[@deanfordcreative]

What!? A Bruno video?! Great to see you again. Fly safe.

[@brunovasseliii2544]

Great flight Bruno IV...amazingly beautiful views...intereating commentary. So, well done son. Sure looking forward to the other awsome flying you videoed last year. With your being so busy, thanks for spending the time to get this video ready and then sharing it. Great job! from Bruno III

[@hubertheiser]

Good to see you back and thank you for sharing this awsome flight with us.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching.

[@DNModels]

Another great one. I would love to see the full flight too!

[@VendettaProspecting]

Great flight crazy short approach landing

[@jerrykovis5417]

so awesome this came up on my suggestion. don't have an interest in being a pilot, but i've never watched the POV from inside of a glider. gonna check your other videos and hope to see more like this.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnqattar3067]

Wish there could be more of your videos like previously. Nice to be invited to this flight of yours.

[@jean-claudedebande5827]

great that you are back … and looking forward for not just videos from this trip!!!

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks! More to come.

[@nathangrimes641]

That’s awesome! I just drove past that last week. I can hardly wait to see more of your safari. 👍

[@BrunoVassel]

More to come. Thanks for your patience.

[@Lizlodude]

Another excellent video! Looking forward to seeing more of the trip

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching.

[@WEBLY12121]

Bruno, I used to binge watch your longer videos when I was deep in depression, It was a nice way to detach from reality, listen to the beeps and watch the clouds and also learn, this was four years ago and I’m glad your still posting flights, Thank you for allowing me to escape, I hope to get into gliding next summer 😊

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for saying hi and I’m glad you have enjoyed the videos. I hope you can start gliding! It is very good for the soul. Cheers.

[@arneldobumatay3702]

Lake Powell: hundreds of inlets. Beautiful flight!

[@MarcoNierop]

Ha! You'r back! Nice video, as always... You guys are crazy to fly with that weather, I had landed long ago, or not even taking off, LOL! Btw, at my club we have sold the aging DG202 and bought an ASW27B back! Everyone wants to fly on that thing, its crazy popular!, I have a few local flights on it and flies very easy, you feel right at home from the first launch. So I can imagine you love your ASW27 so much... Beside that a few guys from our club have done the same as you!.. swapped the ASW20 for an ASW27B too!.. So already 2 ASW27B's within our club! So cool! OK, looking forward to the other video's of this "safari", keep 'm coming!

[@stonelaughter]

Lovely to see you again mate. Looking forward to more.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks Tom.

[@1hornet1]

Man, that view at 2:20 in. Wow! Glad to see you again Bruno. Thanks for posting a video brother!

[@BrunoVassel]

It was even more impressive in person for sure. Thanks for watching!

[@thesuitedsaltshaker8388]

Another good one B4

[@Goldenhordemilo]

love a good glide

[@pinkdispatcher]

Everytime I watch one of your videos it makes me want to pursue my glider licence. I'm happy so far flying powered planes, it's great fun, too, but gliders are special, going so far and so quietly.

[@BrunoVassel]

Do it! Try gliding and you might just get hooked.

[@martinmccloskey2435]

Very cool

[@glenlivet4me503]

Looking forward to your 2023 season. Please keep sharing your thoughts during your flights, your concerns/options etc. ... very interesting to know what you are thinking about and how you make your decisions.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for commenting and for watching! Sometimes there just isn't much to talk about, but you never know. Will keep filming and sharing what is interesting.

[@johnfoster1201]

Beautiful! But also looks intimidating. But with a good cushion of glide to Page, AZ, less so, I imagine. Looking forward to your future/upcoming videos from this trip.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching as always. :)

[@chrishb7074]

Good to see you airborne again, better check the FAA for any rules about not touching with the mammatus clouds from a glider.

[@thekruizenga]

Super Bruno, looking forward to seeing the next clips of the trip. Listened to the podcast of your adventure. awesome experience!

[@BrunoVassel]

Many more to come. I just need time to do some editing. :)

[@thekruizenga]

@@BrunoVassel i know right got the same challenge much nice material left from recent flights but simple no time for the editing.

[@markcourtney7251]

Not many landout options Bruno! Looked fun mate

[@TedKidd]

Bruno is back!

[@TangoDancerLC]

Page is a great airport with 3 FBOs. Great place to go if going to the Grand Canyon.

[@chartphred1]

Awesome video. Do post more like this please Bruno

[@davesgliding]

I guess this is from your soaring safari last year. Looking forward to seeing some of your other adventures from that trip.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks. Yes, many more videos from that trip to come. Just need time to edit. Cheers!

[@cageordie]

Hey, glad to see you back. Lovely to see the scenery from the air, and so much easier than driving down there, which I have done many times. Glider approaches are so different from powered aircraft, you call finals and you aren't even lined up, more like a carrier landing. No criticism intended, it's just different, in the same way that a heavy jet never enters a down wind circuit and might think a bug masher doing so is odd... if he hadn't had to do it a thousand times when he was building hours. The only thing wrong with this video is that it's five hours too short... and I'm not even kidding. At least you let them know you are arriving. I watched a paramotor stop at an airfield for gas, he had no radio and didn't contact them before he just flew across the runway and landed on a taxiway. Or at least he didn't say he had contacted them. The same sort of golf cart came out for him, then they sold him five gallons of gas and off he went again. It was on the Icarus challenge something like five years ago.

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for the comments. This was for sure a much more stressful landing with the storm just about on me. It ended up pretty chill but you can tell I was stressed how I flew it. At least the touchdown was pretty soft. Haha. Cheers and thanks for sharing your experiences! :)

[@mrtitanium427]

That's seriously high up!

[@arnavrevankar444]

Nice

[@schloemo]

Wish you didn’t stop putting out videos Bruno!

[@user-ss5my6dc4k]

Simply spectacular Bruno! Question for you. What kind of winch is following your Safari? Have you utilized car tow launches? Thanks!

[@davidinnes8754]

Should have popped over to Horseshoe bend for the video. Next time!!

[@TheSchwartzIsWithYouToday]

I love the Lake Powell area! Can you share any thoughts on what the differences might be in performance between your glider and a Pipistrel Sinus Max with a 15M wingspan that has a 27:1 glide ratio? I'm sure it's heavier and has a wider body.

[@petef2329]

Great video Bruno. looking forward to seeing the others from your trip! As a relatively recent 27 convert I was interested to see that you didn't use full flap on landing - any reason for that - was it due to the wind strength or was it simply to get further down the runway?

[@BrunoVassel]

Hey Pete. Great question. The winds were gusting over 30 knots on landing. I normally will not use landing flaps in winds over 15 knots. Enjoy your 27!!! :)

[@Paulojuara]

Like Tina Turner "Simply The Best"

[@guillaumekuttel6292]

love the content dude I juste noticed you don't vear any parchutes because in swizerland where i fly we all wear parachutes

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching. I always wear a parachute. I’m in Switzerland the first half of July flying in the Alps. I can’t wait! Cheers.

[@skyedog24]

👍

[@gregknipe8772]

like watching paint dry with narration and white noise.

[@greensacruzn9645]

Wow, a six-month hiatus, What happened? Anyways, nice 2 C U back.

[@paragliding66]

Hi Bruno is really amazing👏👏 From where you took off with the glider? If you hadn’t reached Page Municipal airport, would you have had a second place to land? 😮

[@BrunoVassel]

Thanks for watching. The short answer is pretty rough terrain between Blanding (where we took off) and Page. We could try to crash at a dirt airstrip near Navajo Mountain but that would likely have not been pretty. This was a hardcore flight for sure.

[@paragliding66]

@@BrunoVassel I congratulate you Bruno I am a paraglider pilot and honestly admire your ability to fly a glider 👏👏

[@RichardRichmond123]

Hi Bruno, What type of flight computer are you using. Is it an XC Vario?

[@Nagualist]

Это же Марс!!! )

[@kd8opi]

If Tim Dillon were a glider pilot…

[@shoemakerleve9]

Hey man, this looks super cool! I recently moved to Salt Lake, wondering if there are any good glider schools out here. I have around 30 hours single engine working towards my PPL, and recently completed my USPA skydiving A license. Would love to hear your thoughts!

[@BrunoVassel]

Welcome to Utah! The only instruction in Utah is through the Utah Soaring Association. We are a club of about 90 people and have 6 two-person gliders flying out of 4 different Utah airports. Cheers!

[@shoemakerleve9]

@@BrunoVassel Fantastic, I'll reach out to them! Blue skies!

[@hamishkebb3550]

FBO have a sperate freq to contact in the air to let then know your inbound

[@msnpassjan2004]

So how did you get out? Tie a line to a heavy duty pickup truck and send it?

[@reedwilson6276]

So how did you leave?

[@SL1NGSHOT222999]

guy sounds like ryan gosling

[@hamishkebb3550]

Nice in sailplane better in a seaplane

[@shadeburst]

I don't think that that golf cart will give you a good auto-tow launch.

[@AB-bu9go]

Got any impromptu air shows for us? Lmao

[@1littlelee]

that aint virga

[@slyse7en]

mega landing