megan,
Yes, no ATC, just traffic announcements on the glider frequency. Our flights are capped at 8000' (4300' AGL) by part of the Calgary Terminal Area.
How did you know I need new glasses?
A colleague who flew the next day, said he found the gold in the baggage compartment. I'm a bit suspicious, as he hasn't resigned from the tow-pilot roster!
Apart from producing a spectacular picture, the microburst was very interesting. We went from a few knots headwind to a 20 knot tailwind in less than ten minutes, combined with a rapid decrease in temperature. As the system moved past the the airfield, the wind moved around to a crosswind and then a quartering headwind, which gradually died away. We were flying again in less than half an hour, but of course all the lift had been killed by the cold air and the remaining flights were just sled rides.
I've experienced several wet microbursts associated with Cbs, that have heavy rain along with the strong winds, but this is the first time I had experienced a dry microburst. There was a lot of virga but only a few drops of rain reached the ground.