PandA Povenmire & Associates Aviation Safety Consultants Training Design, Evaluation and Instruction

The Best Lift of the Day Is On the
Base to Final Turn

Words & Music by King Povenmire

I jumped off at three thousand into a cloudless sky.
A few bumps on the tow led me to think that we could fly.
I scratched around in zero-sink, but I couldn’t make it pay
Well zero’s better than nothing when the airport’s far away.

I floated through some tiny bumps but none would fit the bill,
Til I found that little thermal up against that little hill.
I gained a couple hundred feet – but I’m back where I began.
To get back to the glider port I’ll need a better plan.

Anxiety’s a virtue when you’re low and out on track.
Your car’s a-hundred miles away and your cell phone’s in the shack.
If you have a place to land in sight your mind can be at peace.
I’ve been searching for a place to land since I pulled that durn release.

After scratching with intensity for over half a day
I finally made the pattern and I know I’ll be OK
But I’m awfully high on final - I guess I’ll never learn
That the best lift of the day is on the base to final turn.

I owe a lot to Marvin who taught me how to soar.
He taught me several simple rules and could have taught me more.
“Rule Number Three” he told me, and he asked me to repeat
“Don’t turn your back on a place to land below a thousand feet.”

That gaggles should be friendly – You should know where others are.
It’s best to land your glider close to where you parked your car.
That clouds are farther than they look and airplanes closer in.
If you knew of all the challenges you never would begin.

He taught me about soaring and he taught me about life.
Of dealing with adversity - of joy as well as strife.
Sometimes the lift is everywhere. Just race right out on track.
And other times it just ain’t there. You might not make it back.

The glider’s in the trailer and the towplane’s put away.
The quiet of the evening’s come to end another day.
I’m here with what I’ve learned today and what I’ve left to learn.
And the best lift of the day is on the base to final turn.