Sun Valley Nats Day 6 - It's over. . .

We met at 10AM for a pilot meeting today.  The cold front is coming and bringing with it, too much wind to safely task Saturday or Sunday.   The awards dinner will be held tonight at HQ at 6PM.

Yesterday was a great task and the winners of the day were Eric Reed and Brad Gunnuscio, who both  received 1000 points with Jan Voegeli, Dean Stratton, and Nick Greece into goal.  There were 18 in goal total.



Winner of the Sun Valley meet is Eric Reed.  After two competitions the U.S. National Champion is Jack Brown.  Congratulations to Jack!

It was great to see everybody and fly over this amazing terrain.  Ketchum is a great place to spend time engaging in outdoor activities, when conditions don't allow flying.

The competition was very well organized and run with enthusiasm and a good respect for safety.  My hat goes off to David Glover and Mike Pfau for putting on a great show.  Thanks and I hope to fly with you again soon.

Fly Safe,

Tim

Sun Valley Nats Day 5 Task 2

Strategy session

After yesterday's great task we were all looking forward to flying today.  The climbs were forecast to be a bit higher and winds, generally light.  A cold front is headed this way, so the prevailing wisdom was to get off the hill soon to avoid any excitement on launch.

The task was a dog-leg of 66 miles to Int-so.  Basically a route to the East that crosses the beautiful ranges East of Ketchum.  The length of the task was reasonable but, for many pilots - me included, just getting across to the East side of the valley was the first crux.

The gaggle over launch was compressed into a small area again between 9500' and 10,500' and the air was, to be polite, crappy.  Many pilots left the hill with minimal altitude to make the crossing.  It was very crowded and rough on the sunny, West face of the small foothills.  Many of us had our flights terminated by rough sinky air and insufficient working room to use what shards of lift we found.

View of the chair lift and steepness of launch

The gaggle that made it up and over that first ridge was high and going downwind when I got into my ride to HQ.

I'll update with the top 5 and more info when it's available.  At this time (9 PM) I know that there were many in goal with a smattering of pilots along Hwy 93.

Unfortunately, the National Weather Service has issued a weather advisory that forecasts strong winds associated with the cold front approaching the sawtooth area on Saturday, with winds increasing on Sunday.

Results can be seen HERE when available.
A time-laps of the view at the top of Bald is HERE.

We had one incident over launch which resulted in injury to the pilot.  His injuries were limited to ribs and clavicle.  Responders were on site very quickly to stabilize and transport the pilot.

Sun Valley Nats Day4 Task 1 - NICE!

Click on photo for larger version.

We finally got some flying weather today.  Top of lift was only 10,500 feet before the start and the gaggles were tight.  The winds aloft were light and, unlike previous days, the sky was dry with no clouds.

The task committee built a simple task of 47 miles.  We were to head North to land at Stanley Airport.  The first stop was the butte mid valley.  A great thermal trigger, covered in rock, it didn't disappoint as the gaggles headed from the East side to the West.  Once established mid-valley, we headed into the high ground which was both stunning visually and rewarding to fly.

Lift was punchy at times, but climbs were reaching 12,500' and higher.  My group stayed together much of the day and most made goal in around 3:25 elapsed time.  The task winners finished at around 3:00.

Meanwhile many of the pilots were flying along the East side of the valley and eventually picked up the pace to pass our group.

Happy van ride back from goal

There were many happy pilots in goal today.  I'd estimate (since results aren't up yet) over 40 in goal.
Unofficially, the first 3 were Nick Greece, Nate Scales, and Eric Reed.

Tomorrow looks good for another great day of flying.

RESULTS are HERE 

My flight is HERE which placed me 13th and first in the serial and sport class since I'm flying my XC2.

Fly Safe,
Tim

Sun Valley Nats Day3 Task 1 - Cancelled due to winds

Pilot Meeting at HQ at 10 am this morning.

No Task Today - The good flying weather starts on Thursday!

Tim

Sun Valley Nats Day2 Task 1 - Cancelled due to wind and low cloudbase.

Click on photo for larger view

Once again the day dawned cold and cloudy in Sun Valley.  The forecast wasn't very encouraging but we headed up to launch with an optimistic attitude, ready to fly above this amazing scenery.


Upon reaching the summit, we found ourselves in the base of the clouds at 32°F. Soon the sun was peeking through, and cloudbase lifted a bit, so the task committee build a task similar to yesterday's aborted task with an upwind return to DURLZ for a total distance of 50 Kilometers.

Initially a 2:15 start time was set and we all headed for the launch area.  The winds were quite cross at launch and, when the wind-techs got into the air, proved to be quite strong from the South in the valley.

The winds continued to freshen and were about 60° to 90° crossed so the meet director put the launch on hold.  After putting launch on hold for a while, and consulting with the safety committee, Meet Director Dave Glover cancelled the task.

It's disappointing, for everyone, to start a comp with two cancelled days.  Mike Pfau has been very generous with pizza and beer for the idle troops while spending our "down-time" in Sun Valley and Ketchum.  Tomorrow looks unlikely as a taskable day but we will be in position if conditions allow us to fly and compete.

Thursday through Sunday are looking much better and we hope to see the area from the air soon.

Fly Safe -

Tim  

Sun Valley Nats Day1 Task 1 - Cancelled due to wx.

CLICK on photos for larger version

The morning was very cold today and forecasts indicated it would be in the 20'sF at cloudbase, so we all wore our best insulation.  We met at the top of the hill at 10AM and a pilot meeting took place in the restaurant shortly thereafter.   Overdevelopment was predicted and a short task was called to   Galena Lodge, 31K North of  launch.

The cloudbase at this point was fairly low and we all headed for the launch area to prepare for the task and get our gear in order.   Conditions were not conducive to launch so the window was postponed in short increments for 90 minutes before the meet director cancelled the task.  We were seeing some overdevelopment  and precipitation and there was concern that we would be threading the needle to call the launch and start,  while allowing sufficient time to fly the task in rapidly developing conditions.

After the task had been cancelled, a few set-up and launched into fickle conditions that included light ice-pellets and back-wind launches. For an interesting view of the day's progression, you can view a time-lapse of Bald Mt. weather as we set-up and eventually head down the hill HERE. Select the Lookout detailed video for the best look at the sky's progression.

Tomorrow is still looking taskable so we will be at the top at 10am again.

Fly safe -

Tim

Sun Valley Pre Comp Prep

The troops are gathering for the second leg of the US National PG competition.  The terrain is spectacular and the tasking options are many and long.  Yesterday was overcast and dismal looking but I had an hour flight, mostly ridge soaring the bowl on Baldy.  

Today (Sunday) is the official practice day, but most of us slept in.  The weather was forecast to be overcast today and a bit wet, so a flew pilots launched and flew locally.  The launch conditions were cross and strong when I jumped off the ski lift at launch and, after watching a few pilots launch and a few ride down on the gondola, I opted for the gondola also.   I spent the day doing some last minute tweaking to my equipment and adding my survival kit to the harness.  The deep terrain and sparse roads should be a bit intimidating to those with sense.  The potential for a long walk-out, or even an overnight in the bush, is real for those who place themselves deep and committed in the terrain.

The towns of Ketchum and Sun Valley have welcomed our presence with enthusiasm and some discounts, so non-flying days will be enjoyable.  Mountain biking, kayaking, tubing, and hiking are all just a short distance away.

Tonight the pilot meeting was run by Mike Pfau, who briefed everyone on local rules and procedures to be followed.  We will be meeting Monday morning on top of Baldy for the pilot briefing at 10 am and (hopefully) we will get favorable weather for a task.   The forecast is still fairly "iffy" for tomorrow, but conditions are looking favorable for later in the week.  If we do fly on Monday it will be very cold so the long underwear and hand-warmers will be put to use.

It was great to see the usual crowd tonight and there are more than a few foreign pilots joining us this week.  The meet organization is looking sharp and this week looks like it should be great.

More tomorrow -

Tim