Paragliding adventures of a pilot flying XC in competitions and scoring in the "top of the middle third."
Flight descriptions, Competition tips, recap of results, and US competition schedule.
My XC Skies forecast indicated that today might be good at the Cuesta Ridge. . . It was. The winds were light from the SSW and lift was 400-600fpm. up to 4000'. I launched around noon and promptly dropped 300' below launch before finding my first good climb of the day. Patrick & Eric launched about then and we all flew around the ridge. I was higher & able to get some good high climbs over the high ground, so I pressed NW along the ridge. HERE is my flight.
Soon I was farther North than I've ever flown from the Cuesta launch and in excellent shape at around 4000'. The climbs were very good along a line of convergence along the ridge & I was finally looking at the choice of either pressing out towards Highway 1 (and an easy landing and retrieve) or crossing Highway 41 and potentially landing in the Hwy 41 corridor. I was a bit worried about the winds in the steep, narrow Hwy 41 corridor, so I opted to head out front to the small hills next to Hwy 1 & towards Morro Bay.
My GPS was not supplying me with wind velocity information today (bugger!) so I was estimating 5-10 kts. of wind from the SW at altitude & W near the surface. I found some weak lift & ridge lift as I got low & worked out to about 1/2 mile from Hwy 1 at San Bernardo Creek Rd. The landing was textbook & I was able to catch Mary at home & talk her into giving me a lift back to launch. Patrick & Eric stayed a bit closer to launch & were hiking back to their cars at the top.
Since I hadn't done any exercise for the day, I had Mary drop me off at the beginning of the road to launch & hiked up to my truck. A great day & fun flying.
This weekend was the second installment of the '08 BAPA Series. I missed last month at Potato Hill so this was my first. It was also my first opportunity to fly my Avax XC2 against other pilots. Results will be HERE soon.
I arrived on Friday after picking up Jack B. (from Anchorage) at the Fresno Air Terminal. We met Celia & Patrick from the Bay Area & all got in some flying. The weather was great and lift was good to about 2000 meters. We all did a nice circuit around the valley.
Saturday morning the pilots all met at Dunlap School. The turnout was impressive with pilots from all over the West. The talent was deep with 6-8 top-twenty US pilots and many other talented pilots in attendance.
A 99km task was called with the usual valley tour and then a 20k leg to Sandy Creek in the hills towards the San Joaquin valley and a long leg to Porterville. I launch early to get some more time on my wing (I only had 6 hours on it) and explored the normal lift producers prior to start. I had a great start and stayed with the leaders for a few turnpoints before losing contact and flying with the second gaggle. After tagging hill 49917, I headed across the Dunlap valley and towards Sandy Creek.
Tom (foreground) and me launching early
I saw Jug & Tom coming towards me at a lower altitude so I pushed on, hoping we could collaborate. Jug was lower & had to land. Tom and I worked some ragged, weak lift together for awhile but Tom moved North. I hung in the ragged lift until it consolidated into a nice 2-3m/s climb to 1900 meters. I pushed back to a ridge that ran towards Sandy Crk and found good lift along the way. The turnpoint was in the flat & I glided towards it when I got hammered by sink about 2k from the turn. I decided to overfly a small 300' 'bump' prior to the turnpoint hoping that I would get a bubble over it. No luck - so it looked like a death glide to the turnpoint. In addition to my concerns of impending landing, I was getting flaky readings from my GPS - it was getting spotty reception and actually said I crossed the turnpoint when I KNEW I was at least a kilometer from it. I pressed on until my back-up said 400 meters and made a desperation turn back to the 300' bump, which now was at my height. I was able to get a bump from the bump and soon was climbing to 1800meters.
I continued on until I was about 5 miles East of Orosi. I landed in a big cow pasture & shared a glass of iced tea with a nice couple in their 70's. I hiked about 4 miles towards Orosi before Patrick picked me up (Thanks!)
As it turns out, my GPS track from my primary was very fragmented so I used my backup tracklog. Unfortunately I had set the recording interval at 5 seconds so no trackpoint was inside the cylinder at Sandy creek. This was one of many technical problems encountered by pilots this weekend. It is good to get these problems out of the way before the main comps, later in the season. No one made goal today. Jack B., Josh, Eric, Dean, and Mike F. had the longest flights and I was right behind them.
Sunday was a carbon copy of Saturday. Lift was punchy and strong to 2000 meters. The course was similar to Saturday's with the last leg to the school rather than down valley. I launched early again and flew with Nick G. for 45 minutes before the start. I headed back to the start cylinder and found a bullet that put me at the top of the heap in great position for the run to Hill 49917. I stayed in contact with the leaders again until I found a hole coming back from Last Chance. I got stuck low on the main ridge and had to ridge soar until I was high enough to turn a circle in the thermals roaring up the side of the hill.
I made it as far as the airstrip and then ran out of ideas & lift. Landed in a meadow & got a nice reception from Juanita, who offered me some water & shade until my ride showed up. My flight is HERE
I made some mistakes this weekend. I found myself alone between gaggles too often. I need to really work at staying with the leaders, even if lower than them. The Avax XC2 has the performance to really hang in there & I am getting familiar with the techniques that are effective in controlling the wing.
This was also my maiden voyage with the pop-up camper. It was very comfortable for Jack & me. I will definitely be staying in it for the comps this summer. Thanks to Chris Hilliard for the photo of my launch.
The weather hasn't allowed for much flying for the last 2 weeks. My AVAX XC2 is patiently waiting in its bag for me to give it a chance to fly.
I've taken this opportunity to work on my 1987 Starcraft pop-up tent trailer. This new acquisition is a cheap, comfortable, fun, and convenient answer to the question, "Where are you going to stay during the competition?" The camper can be set-up in 15 minutes and sleeps 4 comfortably and 6 in a pinch. It has a sink, 2-burner propane stove, and a self contained 12v. electrical system. I've spruced up the bunk mattresses so they are as comfortable as any motel. All it needs now is a 12v. blender to make margaritas . . . I plan to spend as many as 24 nights in this rig over the summer.
I've also posted a list (on the right side of the blog) of 'articles' I've written this year.
The first is just a compilation of responses to a thread I started on the PG Forum from competition paraglider pilots who were willing to provide some tips.
The next is an article I wrote for the USHPA magazine, HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING. It was published a few months ago. It offers some recommendations for survival kits to be carried on XC flights. Yes, I do actually carry what I talk about in the article.
Finally there is a link to a Competino / 5020 Cheat Sheet that I wrote over a year ago. A large number of these integrated GPS/Vario units are on the used market now & maybe, this document will help some of the new users. It was written for the older firmware, but most of the procedural info is still valid.
Today I joined Kevin, from Eagle Paragliding, and Brad Gunnuscio at Lake San Antonio to feel out the "Dark Side" of the Avax XC2. I made three tows and was able to do all the normal maneuvers. Here's a quick rundown of the maneuvers accomplished and the behavior of the XC2. First let me say, I'm no skygod or test pilot. I'm just a guy who is upgrading from an Aspen2 to the Avax XC2. Prior to today's flights I had ONE flight of 2 hours duration on the Avax XC2.
1. Asymmetric collapse with riser released: Heading controllable and required one vigorous pump to remove tuck. No dive to control.
2. Asymmetric collapse with riser pulled to keep collapse in, allow to dive before wt. shift/control input: Glider turns 90 deg. and dives until control & wt. shift, then responds very quickly with accurate control - even allowing turn into the collapse. No tendency to stall or spin with brake application.
3. Same as (1)&(2) accelerated with 1/2 to full speed bar: Same outcome with just a bit more dive. Even with speed bar held, full control and turns into the collapse were easy.
4. Full Frontal collapse with risers released after collapse: Collapse was swift & complete, with quick, symmetrical recovery after a short "hover" and controllable surge.
5. Full Frontal collapse with risers released after collapse - Accelerated (3/4 bar)and released at collapse: Collapse was swift & complete. The wing has a "hesitation" or "hover" of 2-3 seconds before surging to regain flying speed. This hesitation can be exacerbated if the release of the speed-bar is delayed until the wing is in its retarding stage. The surge is controllable.
6. B-Line stalls: Are easy to apply and the wing breaks well from tip to tip, with good rate of descent.
7. Full Stalls: The wing stalls with deliberate action & with a lot of warning. You need to TRY to stall the wing. When it does go, it falls back farther than the Aspen 2 did (probably due to the additional trim speed.) The high aspect ratio of this wing is evident as it snakes around & attempts to recover. I used a 2-stage recovery that was straight forward & the surge was more dynamic than the Aspen 2, but completely controllable. The third stall recovery wasn't as smooth - it started to surge asymmetrically (due to incorrect inputs no doubt), so I restalled it and recovered normally.
I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the XC2. I think my reaction certainly can be attributed 50% to the "It's MY wing SO I LOVE IT Syndrome" but the remaining 50% of my opinion is that of a pilot who felt comfortably at home on the wing after less than 2 hours.
Today I flew my maiden voyage on the Avax XC2. I flew in thermic conditions for 1:45 and enjoyed the wing very much. The following notes are offered as a first impression only and are not meant to be interpreted as anything more than my personal impression. I will include the information I look for in a report. My experience with the AvaxXC2 is limited to this flight only and I won’t mention conditions I haven’t experienced. My Background:
Most Recent Wings: Gradient Aspen2-28 (120 hrs) – Airwave Sport 2 (200 hrs) – Gin Bandit (40 hrs) – Edel Confidence (80 hrs)
I plan to attend an SIV clinic this week and will report on the festivities.
Gradient AVAX XC2 Flight Impressions
o The Wing came with a std. Gradient cinch bag for the wing and a nice rucksack of a newer design than my Aspen’s Rucksack. The new design is slimmer and taller with a storage pocket that can carry a full flight suit and coat. The top flap protects the helmet. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to use this new sack since my Ram Race Harness is a rather tight fit.
o The lines are thin, unsheathed Edelrid Aramid - 1.2mm to .5mm.
o The risers are standard Gradient riders thin but robust, with “snap” type brake handle stowage. The main difference is that there is only one speed-bar pully.
o Accelerator system.
o I used the same setup on my speedbar (a 3-step UP bar) as I use with the Aspen2 and found no adjustment to the system was necessary.
o The speedbar that came with the wing is a simple one bar with a tygon tubing covered loop. I will donate it to a new pilot.
o Much has been written about Gradient’s decision to use only one pulley in the speed system. I found the speed system to be the same resistance as the Aspen2 (which has 2 pulleys) and within acceptable strength requirements. I used it much of the day & had no fatigue issues.
o Brake toggles are Std. Gradient. They seem to be adjusted properly right from the dealer.
o Wing.
o Size 26 (85-105kg) Color Blue/Grey top with std. Gradient Blue under wing decoration. Weight during flight – 102Kg.
o 73 cells and 6.38 Aspect Ratio. Weight 5.4kg.
o Workmanship is excellent. The micro lines attach to the trailing edge with a doubler.
o The brakes attach with a with a loop of cord through a ring in the trailing edge – both are methods of attachment of the microlines that are not used on the Aspen 2
o Behavior.
o The Aspect Ratio of 6.38 makes this a bit of a handful to ground handle at first. I found the A&C (Mitsos) method to be slightly less effective due to a tendency for the wing to break & snake if I was heavy handed with the C’s. I expect this to be a temporary problem as I learn more about the wing.
o Launch is very Aspen-like. The wing comes up easily and can be stopped accurately with brakes or C’s. Directional control is good. No bad habits.
o Landing was very straightforward. The additional glide performance in short LZs will take some getting used to.
o Flight Handling
o This wing is a high aspect ratio wing with crisp handling. I found that the wing was very responsive and reassuring in its response to turbulence. In the 90 minutes I flew the Avax, I felt very comfortable in rough lift and maneuvering close to the terrain. In short, I would fly this wing anywhere that I’d fly the Aspen 2.
o When traversing the edges of strong thermals, I got a couple of small tip-tucks, very minor and quick to come out. The wing never moved out of the safe zone & was very responsive to my inputs.
o The wing WAS a bit more ‘twitchy’ than the Aspen 2, but I think much of this was due to my inputs rather than the wing. My habits were for the less responsive Aspen2 so I started the flight overcontrolling a bit.
o On the speed-bar the wing felt rock solid. Even more solid, on bar, than my Aspen2. I flew COMFORTABLY on full bar between thermals. It made my eyes water it was so fast (or were they tears of joy?) and the glide didn’t seem to degrade greatly with bar.
o Thermalling the Avax is a treat. It doesn’t retard when entering lift, it cuts into the thermal and goes where you tell it to. Banking up to stay in a small thermal is easy and attitude control when banked up is straightforward. When the lift is weak, I found the sink rate in flat, slow, turns to be excellent.
o I had only two very small tip tucks – I wouldn’t even call them collapses – and they came out by themselves. The wing is not prone to frontals or loose tips – I flew in many areas where there was shear and the Avax stayed pressurized at all times.
I have no performance estimates or reports of recovery from collapses at this point. But, the wing covers considerably more ground than my Aspen2 and scoots!
The Avax XC2 is an excellent ‘follow-on’ glider for an experienced pilot who regularly flies a modern DHV 2 wing like the Aspen 2. It has very good handling and is forgiving in turbulence.
I'm heading to Denver today for a 3-day session of simulator flying, lovingly referred to as "You Bet Your Job" by those of us that fly for a living. . . When I get back, if the UPS tracking system is to be believed, my Avax XC2 will be waiting for me.
You may have noticed (or not) a cool new feed I've placed on my blog. It's a nice daily feed of paragliding photos that are of good quality. Rod Bailey, a British pilot who (apparently) had some time on his hands & a dream, has put together a system that will allow those of us who like to look at purdy pictures of PG (like me) and allow charitable folks who take purdy pictures to upload them to the server that automatically resizes & serves them out. A good idea that only needs the grist of good photos to survive. Check out pPIC and upload your quality photos.
I hope to fly the Avax XC2 over the weekend & will report on it when I get something to report.
I've been reinvigorated by the Australia trip. Even though I had a dismal result, (39th out of 65) I did get to goal & set a PR of 71 miles on the last task. The flying we had this Jan. & Feb. will jump-start my season. I think my Avax XC2 (arrives next week!) will give me the performance to score well if I make good decisions in the upcoming XC season. . .
I'd LIKE to fly the Rat Race, also at Woodrat Mtn. in Ruch, Oregon the week of July 6-12, 2008; and the Chelan XC Open, in Chelan WA. July 28th-Aug 2nd. I don't have the time off yet for those comps.
In addition, I'll be flying as many of the Northern CA XC League (Jug comps) as I can this summer.
So here's the Calendar:
BAPA Comp March 29th and 30th Potato Hill BAPA Comp April 12th and 13th Dunlap Comp Clinic May 2nd and 3rd Competition Clinic in SBA BAPA Comp May 17th and 18th to be Potato Hill WCPCJune 8-14 Ruch, OR BAPA Comp June 21st and 22nd Dunlap Rat Race July 6th-12th Ruch, OR BAPA Comp July 19th and 20th Potato Hill Chelan XC Open July 28th-Aug.3rd Chelan, WA BAPA Comp August 9th and 10th Dunlap BAPA Comp September 6th and 7th Potato Hill U.S. Nationals Sept 14th - 20th Bishop, CA BAPA Comp October 4th, 5th and 6th Owens Valley SCXC Comp November 15th-16th Santa Barbara SCXC Comp December 6th-7th Santa Barbara
'Been back from Australia for a couple days now and I thought a recap was in order.
The trip started off with my complete PG rig & suitcase missing the flight to Sydney. This was a minor set-back & fortunately the Killarney weather wasn't flyable while David & I drove the 7 hour round-trip to Brisbane to pick up the bags.
The Killarney comp was well run & the air of "no worries" was a welcome feeling. David & I didn't fly our best early in the comp. I'm assuming that it was because we are coming off a few months of low air-time during the Northern hemisphere winter. . .
I was able to complete the last task of the competition 114k (71 miles) and felt much more comfortable flying the aussie conditions on that flight. The weather was more flat-land with low cloudbase than I fly usually in CA & OR. It was a great experience to watch the locals tear these conditions up.
Manilla was experiencing a stationary trough for much of the time we were in town, but we were able to get a few sledders and one XC flight. The countryside in both areas was beautiful & friendly, the people were welcoming & eager to give rides and generously offer a "shout" in the pubs.
In all I flew over 300 kilometers and 15 hours. I was able to set a PB at 71 miles and, most importantly, David & I discovered one of the best places to fly PG in the world. We made some great friends. We look forward to revisiting Australia.
After three days in Manilla, with only a couple of very short flights, Dave and I had a treat today. The skies were dry & the winds calm when we woke. The forecast was for light winds and no overdevelopement until late afternoon. We launched arount 12:30 and both had nice climbs to cloudbase (low at only about 1200 meters) I enjoyed the flying near the clouds since we seldom get to do that in California.
I worked down the ridge until reaching just North of Manilla and went looking for some more lift. I got low in shadow & went for one of the few dry looking fields in the basin. I stayed with very light lift until it bloomed into a nice weak climb to 1200 meters & petered out. This gave me enough altitude to head up the main Manilla road. I ended up well West of the main road in the foothills & eventually landed in a nice field. I only covered 22 kilometers, but the 1:45 flight was fun.
My hike-out was 3.6 miles to the main road where, before I'd even set my bag down, I got a ride into town. Dave called my phone & said he'd pick me up in town. . .
We had another great meal at the RSL club in Manilla and were treated to the sunset in the photo above. We hope to get a good long flight in tomorrow since it will be our last chance before we drive to Sydney on Sunday.
Yesterday Dave & I were able to get a short flight in at Mt. Borah. The weather continues to be quite unsettled & a trough promises to bring wet weather to the majority of Eastern Australia. At the moment, there are scattered showers, some with solid rain in Manilla. The forecast for this area is not encouraging. T-Storms with widespread showers are forecast for the next 4 days. I’ve checked the weather forecast for Bright (about 8-10 hours South of Manilla) and am encouraged that partly cloudy skies are forecast for Wed.-Thursday. The plan, as of now, is to head South to Bright in the morning. So here we sit, with pilots from all over the world, in one of the best XC spots with our wings in the bag & a good book in hand. . . I’ve found a few more photos from our time in Killarney to post - The first is a spectacular sunset display. The photo isn’t enhanced to make it look better – no need.
Click for larger image
The second is my dog friend Storm relaxing in his hammock. He was the kind of dog that was a clown when he wasn’t tearing stuff up. I hope everybody is enjoying their adventures as much as David & I are. Tim
This morning the Killarney skies were overcast & drizzly. David & I decided to head South to Manilla, the site of last year’s worlds championship comp and Ewa’s famous CB tour. The drive took about four hours & we drove through many small towns with names like Barraba, Bingara, and Texas. The drive went quickly and as we proceeded South the weather got progressively more threatening looking. We saw kangaroos, wallabies, fox, and goannas and a host of tropical birds as we travelled the ranches along the road. We pulled into the encampment at Manilla around 2pm. The weather was as you see it in the photo, above. The hill is obvious, with a couple of launches visible from the road. Manilla is Godfrey Wenness’ pet project. He’s spent many months and many $$ to turn this site into a world class flying site. Mt. Borah has four launches, all with Astroturf surfaces. The West launch and the East launch are as large, or larger than a basketball court. We drove to the top of the hill (the peak is 350 meters above the valley floor) and did a tour of the 4 launches. There are expansive setup areas adjacent to each launch. The launches, in some spots, are shallow but all look very good. We have rented a cabin from Godfrey and enjoyed a great night’s sleep last night. Today (Mon.) is overcast with a forecast of rain & isolated T-Storms for the next few days. . . it appears the wx has finally caught up with us. We hope to get some flying here, this week, when the wx allows. Another option is to head to Newcastle & join up with James T. to fly some coastal sites.
We got to the hill at 11:30 & things were looking up. The wind was brisk & cloud base low. A 49k task was called but before ordered launch was started, the task was canceled due to rain showers on both sides of the hill.
We all flew anyway since the conditions improved as the morning progressed.
Craig Collins won the contest handily with 5739 points in 6 tasks. He was more than 1000 points ahead of 2nd place Mark Watts. Results are HERE
I ended up in 39th place. I really only flew one task well & got to goal so I didn't deserve to rank any higher that this in a contest of this caliber.
The contest has been very enjoyable. The Aussie farmers in the areas we flew always greeted us with a wave when we landed in their fields and the locals in town were friendly and glad to have us. The other pilots were helpful and a gregarious group who understand that the bottom line is winning, but having fun is paramount.
My special thanks goes out to James Ryrie & his daughter Hanna, who made the logistics of retrieval easy, and James Thompson who was there to offer advice when asked.
Dave & I are going to fly in Australia for another week, not sure where yet, I'll post any events of note.
Today was the best day of the comp. Not only was the weather looking perfect for a good task, with moderate winds from the East-SE, but the thermal activity was forecast to be 3-4 meters/sec. (600-700 fpm) and cloudbase was forecast to be 2200-2500 meters.
A 115 Kilometer task was called to a little farming town called Millmerrin with individual starts. Dave got in the air earlier than I did and decided to head over the back early. I launched about 20 minutes after Dave.
After launch I went right to cloudbase and waited for a few other gliders to join me so we could head over the back, on course. I pushed out, raring to get some Ks behind me, but a glider behind and left of me turned in a good climb so I backtracked to join him in a climb back to cloudbase. I was feeling very good & liked the conditions as we proceeded along course towards Warwick.
From the radio calls, I determined that James T. was about 6 k ahead of me and James R. was behind me about 5k. Dave was out there somewhere, but very quiet. I pushed on & soon Warwick was behind me & I was half way to goal. Today was a good day to get & stay high. The clouds were streeting nicely & I was able to fly for 2-3k without turning & gaining altitude. I spent more time on speedbar today than any prior task. When it began to look like I would make goal I got a little more conservative and worked some lift until I saw 6:1 glide to goal. I pushed full bar & flew the last 6k at 50-60kph but still arrived with 800meters of extra altitude.
Making goal, finally, was great. I flew well today & made some good decisions. I flew more conservatively (SLOW) than I needed to, but this assured goal & that was my priority. 114K (71 miles) is my personal best & my time was 3:17 for an average speed of 21+ mph.
James T. made goal about 40 minutes before I did. James R. (who was demoing a brand new Avax XC2 (like the one I'll be getting in mid-Feb.) went 22k. but had good things to say about the wing. David got low just past Warwick & went down there.
It's Sat. morning, the last day to fly, and it is much more overcast than yesterday. We expect a short task so the party will be well attended tonight.
The weather improved today and a 76k task was called. The start would be a race start. Dave & I lanched as soon as we could by "pushing" to laiunch as soon as our priority would allow. We made it into the air 30 min. before start time. I went right to cloud base at 2000 meters and was ready when the gaggle went over the back at 12:30. I like race starts. . .
Dave had a tougher time & got low enough to land over the back but close enough to warrant a relaunch. Hanna did a great job of wisking him to the top for a relaunch before the launch closed.
Meanwhile James T., I, and James R., in that order, were flying West over Warwick & all having a good go of it. The lead gaggle was far ahead but occasionally there were crux points that slowed us all down. I made a low save & headed for the quarry where I joined another couple of gliders who were in the search mode. We moved around looking for anything & but eventually all of us dirted at 45 kilometers. James R. made it another 12k. and James T. made it to goal with a very nice flight.
Conditions today were more dependable & predictable - either that or I'm learning the local conditions. Dave had a rough day when he landed about 15k from launch on the second flight.
Goal was across from a nice country pub & there were many in goal, so in classic Aussie style, a party was had. . .
The weather in Killarney has been great. When it hasn't looked optimal at launch, it soon improves and good flying ensues. Today was the same. When we arrived at the East launch the winds were very gusty to 15kts. & cloudbase was low. As the morning progressed the conditions improved & a 115k dogleg task was called.
Dave & I decided to launch early and this was the correct decision as the lift was abundant and simply staying out of the clouds was an issue. We danced the dance until the lead gaggle decided to go over the back. I was in good position to go with the gaggle. I spread out & found a bad line that I corrected quickly, but some damage had been done as I was now 500' below & behind the leaders. I found some lift & stopped to work a 400'/min. thermal that the leaders had overflown & watched as they went on a long glide. Over the next 15 minutes,I made some poor decisions and ended up very low over a field. I got a good kick in the ass & thought, "OH BOY, LIFT!" then I noticed the sagebrush circling around me as I fought the turbulence & my thoughts changed to, "OH SHIT A DUST DEVIL!" I hung in there & soon I was 1000meters above the field in smoother lift. This encouraged me & I continued on to Warwick, but after 1:30 flight time, was on the ground.
Dave was able to continue on for another 10K before he landed on the other side of Warwick. Many made it to goal today. Dave & I are loving the flying but our frustration is high because the conditions look so good & we are having trouble reading the terrain & weather to extend our flights.
Thanks to everybody who has wished us well. . .We are frustrated, but having a lot of fun. The people in Killarney are great & the event has been well run and very successful.
Today was a dry day compared to the previous two. The son was bright at dawn. We headed to coffee with James Ryrie, his daughter (and our retrieval driver) Hanna, James Thompson (the local expert)and his friend from Connecticut, LeAnne, Dave & me. Today looked like it might be big. Both Dave & I were ready for a good day of flying - neither of us felt very competent dealing with the weather & local topography. Today we hoped to accomplish a nice task.
The pilot meeting announced the leaders. Viv Williams, launching here, leads the women's and Phil Hystek leads the overall. My bad flight yesterday lowered me to 4th in the DHV2 cat & 39th overall.
At the top of the hill the feeling was one of anticipation. We all knew the day would be good. The wind would be a factor - so would the blue areas. The task was called early & long. A 139k (86 mile) downwind run. Dave & I decided to launch from the East launch again & launched fairly early. Most of those pilots who had launched were getting up so we hucked off. Right away we sunk to below ridge height, but we had lots of company so I wasn't worried. Soon the traffic was concentrated into such a small part of the ridge that there was a bit of jostling & yelling as we all struggled to stay in the air. After a protracted battle, Dave & I headed for the bombout. Our first bombout & relaunch. Our retrieval worked out great & we were on top with plenty of time to make a good start.
Relaunch into the now very brisk wind at launch was exciting but fine and we were soon high over launch Dave just 50' above in the same thermal. We headed over the back & soon found some lift that consolidated into a 2-3mps climb. At this point I lucked into a good line along a weak convergence & Dave, to my right about 100 meters, was in a lot of sink. By the time I found my next thermal at 1000'agl or so, Dave was struggling a few hundred ft. above the field. He had a great save & I headed out when I hit the 6500' altitude limit in protected airspace along the route.
Dave was far behind but fighting a good fight. I lost him when I began to get busy. I was working every bit of lift I encountered. The lowerI got, the stronger the wind seemed to get. I was circling in zero sink at times & drifting towards goal at 20-25 kilometers/hr.
By now James & James had landed & were watching Dave & I fly beyond there landing spots. Retrieval would be easy today. Dave had gotten up and caught me. I saw him just before I landed, he was 400meters (1/4 mile) closer to goal than I.
Today was pure fun. We had some good climbs and flew over beautiful country. We covered 25-30 miles today too. Rumor has it that there were 8-12 in goal.
Today looked like a great day at launch. The forecast was for over development to the South. As the photo shows, it did. This didn't affect the flight today though.
The task set was a simple downwind dash to Clifton 58 kilometers Northwest of the launch. Dave & I were far enough down the launch order that we decided to use the East launch to avoid the hold-up of the launch grid. It worked out very well as the cycles up the launch were perfect & we were able to setup and launch at the time we desired. I went first & found a nice thermal right over launch. Dave followed immediately.
We worked the same lift for about 15 minutes until I jumped to a better thermal & bumped the top-of-lift. I decided to head over the back with 3 or 4 others. We found some weak lift along the way but things weren't booming the way the sky indicated they should. I found some lift & the gaggle flocked to me for about 1500' of climb. When the lift faltered I headed off & was getting 7 to 1 glide with a groundspeed of 50 kilometers/hr. Unfortunately, the lift suddenly became sparse. I was with 2 others in a beautiful valley (called Emu Vale, we were to find out later) scratching to save ourselves. A Boom Sport (David from Italy) landed and watched me as I tried repeatedly to climb out. Once I was down to 700' above the field and found a bit-o-lift that allowed me the titillation of climbing to 900', but the drift in the 9 kt. wind was too much & I couldn't clear the ridge behind me. . . I landed 10 meters from Italy David.
Davis S., meanwhile, left the hill after me but was in better shape & made it farther down the courseline than I. It was a tough day & we didn't go as far as we wanted - but that's the challenge ;-)
The clouds were spectacular today. The CBs to the South merged into one and became a supercell that eventually dropped rain on the campground around 4:30. I am not understanding the micro climate here. I've been let down by conditions that seemed to be better than they were. I need to stay with a gaggle that knows what it's doing, but with the individual starts that we've had the first two tasks, it's been very hard to pick your gaggle.
The week is shaping into a good one, with conditions for tomorrow looking very good. I hope to make goal tomorrow.
The morning dawned very dewy and overcast with little appearant prospect of good flying. We had the pilot meeting at 8:30 & decided to meet at the top of the SE launch at around 10:30. When we arrived at launch, the cloud was at launch elevation with drippies falling. Patience paid off, though, and the weather improved. A short task was called that overflew our caravan park & then drove downwind to abeam Warwick for a total task of around 63km.
I launched around 1:30pm and flew down the ridge, scratching a bit until I connected with some good lift to cloud base. The area was really looking good at this point with abundant cumulus clouds and some streeting. I was right behind the lead gaggle of 15 and in a loose group of 6-8 gliders at various altitudes. At one point, the lead gaggle stalled in some rather weak lift & I stopped short of that gaggle to work some 3-400'/min. lift.
Soon I was at the height of the top guys in the lead gaggle & my lift was waning, so I took my chance to reenter the lead gaggle. I hit the gaggle about halfway up the stack but found nothing to warrant a circle. This was the end for me & many others. The whole gaggle went on glide & many of us never had a peep on out varios beyond that point. The wind in the valley was blowing at 10-13 kts. so the landing was fun but very uneventful.
Dave got caught in the launch order queue for about 15-20 minutes behind me & didn't have much company for his flight. He was able to hit the first turnpoint at the caravan park, but landed fairly close.
As always the locals were friendly & in good spirits (It is Australia Day) and we had a great debrief at the pub & a feed at the rec center. I've asked a few Aussies what the celebration at Australia Day is commemorating, and the best answer I get is that it's a chance for a three-day party. . .
I don't know the scoring yet - I hope to do better today. The weather looks like we may have more wind & a nice cumulus day. (EDIT) I just got back from the pilot mtg. & I went 17km of a 63km task - not great but good enough for 25th place (3rd in the DHV 2 category). Only 9 made it to goal due to the scratchy conditions & strong valley winds along the courseline. Today looks good & I'm off to launch -
Dave & I made it to Brisbane without a hitch - I did have to roust him out to the airport 2 hours early to catch a delayed 4 pm flight that actually left at 5:30, but all worked out fine. I OMCed to get on the flight (sat in the cockpit until all passengers were boarded). This created a bit of a SNAFU though. Because I wasn't considered a passenger anymore, they took my name off the boarding list & promptly took my bags off. I didn't realize the problem until we got to SYD.
It's the next day now & we are in Killarney. I'll drive to Brisbane today & hopefully my wing & suitcase will be there. The Wicked Camper is working out well so far. It's the bare essentials and we are in a caravan park that has showers and wifi. It's a nice setting in rural Australia. The town has one store & the required pub. The park dog is named storm.
Sleeping isn't bad in the campervan. The beds are adequate & Dave & I seem to coexist without too much undesired contact ;-) There is a rudimentary kitchen with storage & camp-sink. The week is starting to look a bit wet. The competition begins Sat.(tomorrow)with T-storms forecast all week. The following week is forecast to have improved weather so we will get some flying in regardless.
I'm headed for Killarney Australia with David S. on Tuesday night the 22nd of Jan. We will arrive in Sydney the morning of the 24th, then fly to Brisbane to pick up our "Wicked Camper" and then a couple hour drive to Killarney.
The competition starts on the 26th and runs through the 2nd of Feb. The weather has been very wet due to El Nina, but the week of the comp. looks good.
I'll be flying my Aspen2 in this competition since the Avax XC2 will not arrive until mid-Feb. I haven't flown much this winter, so it will be good to get into the air again. I'll be updating this blog a lot during the next two weeks.
It's 2008, and I'm sitting in Narita on a 6-day trip to Japan & Thailand.
I find myself more inclined to ponder how things are going when I'm alone & away from home. This New Years is no different. I don't make New Years resolutions, but occasionally, I do assess and reflect. 2007 was a tough year for me in some ways. I found myself bitching about my job more than I like. The fact is that I've lost the dream. I'm now resigned to "get on with it" and just do the job. If you were one of my targets for a diatribe - I apologize & hope to not bore you with self-indulgent whining ever again.
This isn't the job it used to be but I'm good at it & it does allow me the time to pursue my passions and spend time with my family & friends. . . even if I'm not always at home when I'd like to be. . . I'm thankful to have the job I've aspired to have since I was 14 years old & started flying.
This New Years I'm very THANKFUL.
Thankful that I have a good woman who allows me to love her & returns the favor. I aspire to be a kind, supportive mate.
Thankful that I have two great, grown daughters that have made me proud. They are the sum of their parent's parts, and better for it. I aspire to be a good father to my adult kids.
Thankful for my friends. Friends provide a feedback loop that is reasonable and helpful. . . and sometimes they even buy the beer. I aspire to be as good a friend to those I have.
Thankful for my passions. My life is filled with activities that occupy my time & fulfill my need to be challenged, enriched, and educated. I aspire to improve my skills & expand my horizons. To take risks that will stretch me as a person without impinging on any of the above aspirations.
The long awaited performance glider AVAX XC 2 is here. AVAX XC 2 has been tested extensively over a long period of time and by a variety of pilots before being presented to the jury. All Sizes 2passed EN (European Norm) as C rated glidershttp://www.para-test.com/ what is rating roughly corresponding to DHV 2. Gradient, however, suggests this glider should be treated more like DHV 2-3. AVAX XC 2 is a typical representative of the latest performance gliders with parameters close to comp machines. It has a formidable aspect ratio 6.38 and a high number of cells (73) to assure a clean shape of the airfoil. Its weight has been kept very low: size 28 weights only 5.8 kg. As usual, Gradient is not trying to dazzle the market by amazing performance data, but anybody experienced with Gradient gliders knows what to expect. Just making sure there is no misunderstanding: The AVAX part of the name is no indication this glider is a down-tuned comp machine. AVAX XC 2 has been developed independently from the scratch as a performance glider and there are no compromises. This should be glider for demanding recreational XC pilots and aspiring comp enthusiasts.
I also came across a video of 4 Avax XC2s flying at a great Czech site. . .My wing is either going to be the Grey/Red combo or the "Sangria" combo Red with Black leading edge.
I promise this is the last bit of excited gushing I'll do until I fly it - unless I get more info . . .
Well, I made the jump. I've gone out on a limb a bit & I'm sure I'll have some stories to tell about my experiences. . .
Thanks to my wife, Mary, giving me the green-light, today I ordered a NEW wing - not only new to me, not only new - as in NOT USED. But I ordered a NEW wing - as in nobody has one in the US yet.
I've moved from my Aspen2 to the new (have I mentioned it's new ;-) Avax XC2. This is Gradient's highest performance certified glider. I will have one of the first wings to be flown in the US & hope to do it proud when it arrives in February.
I'm pushing my personal envelope a bit & will be cautious, but all the early flight reports indicate that the Avax XC2 flies very much like my Aspen 2 and has the light handling characteristics that Gradient wings display. It has been certified under the new CEN criteria as a CEN 'C' glider. This certification is quite impressive, as it indicates that the handling of the XC2 should be comperable, in skill required, as my Aspen 2.
The forecast performance will increase my glide ratio by 10% and speed by over 10%, so it should make it more possible for me to keep contact with the leading gaggles during competitions. This wing will, in no uncertain terms, allow me to evaluate MY performance during a competition without having to factor in a 'penalty' for the wing's deficiency in performance - No excuses. . .
I've put off moving to a wing of this performance for a while because the higher the performance class & speed, the higher the skill necessary to keep the wing in shape & over my head. I will conservatively fly this wing in the upcoming season & feel my skills will keep me out of trouble.
One of our local instructors, Tom M. has taken delivery of a used winch. He has plans to install it in his ski boat so we can fly at Lake San Antonio. I love the idea (since I got a taste of some real acro at my SIV course in Oct.) I went to his house, last weekend, & helped him modify & weld the unit so that it would fit into the boat.
When finished with the mods, I mentioned that it might make sense to try the winch out in my truck to eliminate the natural "fiasco factor" that is added anytime you involve a boat in an endeavor. Tom responded enthusiastically, so we drilled holes in my Tundra & mounted the unit. I chopped the legs off a lawn chair to use as a control operator's station, which worked surprisingly well.
Sunday afternoon we scouted for the perfect site to test the rig. We didn't find that site, but settled for a dirt road out in East Nipomo. Tom laid out his wing & Peter drove while I manned a hydraulic valve that I was completely unfamiliar with.
We managed a safe launch & climb to around 150-200' before a splice in the used line let go. Tom made a safe landing with his share of the line. We proved the concept & are comfortable with the winch's design & function. The sun was setting so we packed up -
Now we need to get comfortable with its use & finish the installation in the boat. We also need to find excellent spots to tow on land.
Today was only my second flight since I flew at the SIV clinic in mid October. A couple of weeks ago I had a magical flight at Shell Beach, a beautiful sea-side flying spot that generally depends on on-shore breezes to provide a thin band of lift parallel to the bluffs above the beach. Tom M. launched early in spite of the general negative prognostications of the local experts and was able to stay up so I suited up. I was very lucky & had perfect timing since the wind was freshly blowing on-shore as I launched. Five minutes later it would have been impossible to launch due to the wind switching to a calm or offshore breeze.
What had happened was that a strong convergence line had formed between the on-shore and Santa Ana-like breeze that we experienced inland. As it moved across launch, I was able to just fly the convergence and Tom & I were treated to a beautiful flight that took us to heights unusual for this site. I carried no altimeter, but guess that I hit 1500 to 2000' above the sea. The view was great & a great first flight at the site.
Today we headed up to Cuesta - I had high hopes since my forecast indicated very light winds. Patrick, Eric, Jack, Dave & I all arrived at launch around noon. Eric & Pat launched first & didn't get high, but flew around launch altitude for 15 minutes. They were both able to top-land & wait for things to improve. I was ready to fly & decided it looked soarable, so I launched into a nice gentle cycle. A nice thermal was right off the launch & I went up about 50' right away.
Soon I was touring the ridge looking for any shard of lift I could work. Within 12 minutes I was down to 1200' MSL (about 200' above the pasture) & planning where I would land to minimize the hike-up the hill to launch. The I felt a great bubble of lift & it filled my wing from right to left. As I rolled into my turn, it filled out the whole wing & I climbed back up to launch - much more quickly and easily than if I were to have landed & hiked up. From then on, the day was ON. Lift was everywhere & generally, the down cycles were few & of short duration.
It's not uncommon to fly over the ridge & observe other sportsmen and yahoos in various activities. Today our entertainment was a truckload of mullets, beer, & shotguns, who parked up ridge& proceeded to make clay pigeons into dust. That wasn't the fun part - The fun began when the CHP arrived on scene & showed the proper protocol for approaching multiple guys who have guns. . . all the while I (and others) were lurking quietly above, watching the show ;-)
Anyway, it was a fun day with all of us having good flights. I flew for 2 hours & landed just because everyone else had. The top landing took a couple tries since there was a bullet of a thermal right in front of the spot - but it worked out fine.
Recently, on a forum I frequent, http://www.paraglidingforum.com I managed to derail a discussion about the relative safety of competition wings to the lesser performance - but safer - wings that us mere mortals fly. The certified, and therefor tested wings are rated from DHV 1 (beginner wings) to DHV 3 with performance increasing as the # increases. I competed on my Sport 2 (DHV 1/2) for a year and a half and now am flying my Aspen 2 (DHV 2).
If I ruled the world, we would have competitions that emphasized 'class' racing so there would be winners in each class. This would allow less experienced pilots to earn their 'chops' while competing against others in their class. I found that my response pretty well encapsulated why I enjoy flying XC and XC competitions so much. Here it is:
MadS. wrote: As for registering for competitions year after year just to pimp and learn, well it sure isn't a game for me - I strongly feel that if you're doing comps then you must want to win - and in most cases you won't be winning on a DHV 2 wing, so it follows that you won't be having fun on said wing.
My Response:
I know many people who 'race' knowing they won't win. They race for racing's sake; for the experience and comraderie. They are happy as long as they see improvement. I think my experiences echo many.
I strive to win tasks & have worked hard to improve my skills and equipment so my ranking is higher year over year. I've only flown PG for 4 years & comps for two, so I'm in the position where my goals to fly competitively are bumping up against the limits of my experience. I've many thousands of hours in other types of flying machines, so I acknowledge my limits and try to push them without hurting myself (usually). I've had intermediate syndrome in sailplanes, powered A/C, and jets, so I know myself pretty well by now. I want to win & I know I won't on my Aspen 2 without a fluke.
BUT, I AM having fun. I'd hazard to say that I'm having more fun than some of my friends who have flown competitively for many years without breaking through their frustrating 'plateau' and find themselves shaken & spent, while flying their 2/3 in rowdy conditions. I'm 52 & I have over 25,000 hours & I'm bored in the cockpit. But put me on the hill, with 100 other PG pilots and the electricity is palpable. The singular focus of my mind while flying an XC task and the amazing insights I've come away with, make flying comps one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Learning is fun. Even when I place 27th in a national comp, I am proud. Next year I hope to place 26th!
I will, eventually progress to a 2/3, maybe next year - but I'll know when - I won't query the forum.
Tailwinds, and thanks for your contribution to this thread. What do you think about class racing Mads? Pilot vs. pilot - no bells & whistles. True competition. The 2/3 market is well represented by UP, could they use more Trango sales?
Dave S. and I are heading South to OZ in Jan. '08 to fly the Killarney Classic and then travel around looking for good XC for a week. The 2008 US schedule has been determined:
PARAGLIDING West Coast PG Championships June 6-14 (Ruch, Oregon) Rat Race July 6-12 (Ruch, Oregon) Chelan XC Open July 27-Aug 1 (Chelan, WA) 2008 US Paragliding Nationals Sept 14-20 (Owens Valley)
HANG GLIDING “Hang-On” HG Nationals Aug 17-23 (Lakeview Oregon)
BOTH DISCIPLINES Chelan Classic (HG & PG) June 29 to July 4 (Chelan, WA) Practice days the 27th and 28th
I hope to fly the West Coast Championships in June & the US Nats in Sept.
I was able to attend an SIV course at Lake San Antonio this weekend.The 3-day class was run by Eagle Paragliding (Rob Sporrer) and featured Brad Gunnicio on the microphone.
Friday started well & 9 students and a crew of 4 headed over to the SE shore of the lake at around 8 AM.We setup a day-camp & got organized.We each introduced ourselves & listed our goals for the weekend.Mine were:
1.Go through the collapse series on the Aspen2, emphasis on accelerated collapses.
2.Perform well developed & timed spirals & asymmetric spirals.
3.Learn the entry & recovery of full stalls.
4.Enter & recover from incipient & fully developed spins.
5.SAT
I was first in the line-up.Although cloudy, the rain looked like it might stay South of us.Cloudbase looked high enough to get some basic maneuvers in.I suited up in cold wx gear & made ready for the tow.Due to a South wind, we were launching on a tangent to the shore so my time over the beach was longer than the standard pattern (fortunately).Launch went well & soon I was at 100’, just about to cross the beach & fly over the water when Rob came on the mike, “Pin off !Pin-off! ”I released & turned crosswind to land near our camp.Apparently, one of the drive belts to the hydraulics had slipped & filled the boat with smoke.I’m glad I stayed dry, ‘cause it was maybe 40F. outside.The rain moved in shortly thereafter so we piled into the boat & went to a cabin for lunch & a brief by Brad.The day was over & I had the highest tow of the day ;-)Jim Wells from SLOSA was also at the course.
Saturday I was first up again & we towed as high as the cloud overcast would allow.I did the collapses & basic maneuvers (B-line stalls, horseshoe etc.) that Brad asked for.The first tow or two Brad is building trust – I listened & carefully did what Brad said to do WHEN he said to do it.This way he knew that if I did more advanced maneuvers & got balled up, I would still comply with his instructions.We all got to do the basics & 90 minutes later it was my turn again.Launch went well & I was soon 2000’ above the lake & upwind of the camp a mile or so.Suddenly the tension on the line went away & I realized that I was not attached to the boat any more.First order of business, steer the jet.I headed towards the camp & glide looked good.Next, I pulled in the line until the drogue chute was in my lap & pinned it under my leg.I could now see the line all the way to the water & realized that the lower I got, the more drag the line would have.I was just digesting this info when Brad said to do what I was working towards, “Disconnect the tow hitch in case the line snags on anything.”Good call, Brad.Then I planned my flight path so I didn’t overfly any trees or boats & flew downwind of the camp, dumped the drogue from about 150’ above the beach & landed back in front of the launch.Kind of a fun exercise!
A splice had let loose & soon the boys had it repaired & we were back in business.I got the next tow (since I hadn’t done any maneuvers) and was soon spiraling and collapsing again.It was great to be able to screw the wing up & get it back into shape without any concern of impact with the ground.Brad was great at encouraging & coaching.He kept it up all day long without losing his sense of humor or attention.
I drove home Sat. night with a sense of excitement – Tomorrow I get to do full stalls & SATs.
Sunday the weather at the lake was a thin layer of fog.It started to break up, so Brad went up for a couple quick tows & did an airshow for us.I caught one of his landings –
At this point we had a couple of mechanical issues that really slowed the day down.Rob & the crew did their best to get things going again.After 90 minutes we resumed towing.My first tow was very high & allowed me to do 5 full stalls. I was anticipating a much more dynamic reaction from the wing. The entry & recovery were both benign compared to my expectations.
On my last flight we were able to do 4 SAT entries & a few spirals.The SAT entry was not very hard technically, but was harder to do physically than I expected.The pull to initiate the maneuver required a wrap and I found the pull on the brake line to be more tension around my hand than I liked – in fact, I still have a numb pinky.The successive SATs really scrambled my brains.After rolling out of the last SAT, Brad wanted me to enter a spiral.I was so dizzy that I just ignored him for a few seconds to get my bearings & breath back.When he says on the video, "you're probably dizzy as hell. . ." he was so right. Then I entered some of my best & most dynamic asymmetric spirals.I was able to get way over the wing & felt the timing when it was working.The Aspen 2 really has a lot of energy & SATs very well too.
Here's a video of my last flight taken by Mike W. with a good video camera, followed by a (not very good) video of the last flight taken with my little point & shoot -
Brad’s debriefs were very helpful & I’m sure that as I rerun the maneuvers in my head, I’ll learn much more.I’m looking forward to working with Rob Sporrer & Brad again.
My wife Mary also had an ‘active’ weekend while I was at the lake. She ran the City to the Sea Half Marathon & set a personal best of 1:55.She placed 6th in her age bracket!
Jack G., Dave S. & I headed to Bishop to fly in the Owens Valley with the BAPA XC league. We had high hope for good weather & long flights. On the Friday eve drive North on 395 we saw the weather at left over the southern White Mountains (the East side of the Owens valley.) (click on pic) We saw some beautiful cloud build-ups & the Sierras were dusted that night with snow.
This proved to be the last of the weather though. Saturday dawned clear & beautiful. Unfortunately the winds were higher on Sat. than was prudent to fly, so we all had a recreational day in/around Bishop. Sat. night we all met at a pizza parlor to tell stories & celebrate Kari Castle's birthday.
Sunday looked good on paper, but had a very stable lapse rate, so lift was forcast to be weak & tops of lift - low. A task was called which ran us upvalley to Casbah & then South to Pupfish & across the valley to Keogh.
The leg North was straight-forward but lift petered out below 9000'. The field of 45 was littered all along the course. It was not a day to race - it was one of survival. I was able to hang with Jug & Rob S., thermaling towards Casbah. The guys decided to head out in the valley & tag the point & come back . I decided to hang back & work the last of the weak thermal. After gaining another 400' I too headed for Casbah. A mile from the turnpoint I found a great little core which bought me another 800'. I then tagged the turnpoint & returned to the foothills and entered the thermal the boys had found - this time I was on the top of the stack. This allowed me to work up high enough to make it down range & limp a mile of so farther than the field. Jug & maybe Josh C. were the only guys who made it further South than I. I put down in scrub near Susan who was headed to the waypoint. The scrub consisted of what seemed like barbed-wire tumbleweeds & it took 15 minutes to clear & fold the wing and another 50 minutes to cover the three mile hike to Hwy 6. Miles covered: 15 Flight time: 1:40
Monday the forecast was for SE winds in the valley, & light winds aloft. Jug knew everyone was heading out on long drives at the end of the day, so a 25 mile task was called - Just a downwind dash N. to Benton (about 5 miles from the CA-NV border.)
A few pilots launched 30 minutes before the start & flushed to the LZ in spite of some gallant struggles. A couple of good pilots hung in there & eventually I launched about 5 minutes after the Start Cylinder opened. There was speculation on the hill, earlier, that it may be the kind of day where you may be lucky to exceed minimum distance (5 miles) but after launch I climbed well to 8300' & Dave was ahead of me with good altitude. It looked like the day was improving. Since climbs were low, I headed out lower than I wanted to. 15 minutes later I was only 600' off the deck & looking at another long hike to the road. . . I needed some lift NOW. With only 4 minutes to landing left, I felt a burble that foretold a core nearby. Soon I was happily climbing back into the game. I hate getting low when competing - it just slows you down drastically - but a save from low altitude is quite rewarding & set the tone for the next 18 miles.
I soon found myself flying with Bill Belcourt & Montana (both of whom made goal, dangit). We climbed in a couple of serpentine thermals to around 8000' but they wanted to push deep into the high ground. I knew the potential for high climbs was greater over the high ground, but I was sporting a serious blister from yesterday & didn't want to hike more than a couple of miles. They were also on higher performance wings, so I played it safe & stayed over the fingers.
This worked for awhile, but eventually I needed to point at the goal, use the tailwind, & head into the flats. I was able to find a couple of small thermals in the valley but not enough to make goal. I eventually landed 3/4 of a mile from Hwy 6 and 6 miles short of goal. This time I found a nice spot with an intersection of two dirt roads that allowed me to land and lay the wing down, clear of any scrub. The landing went just as planned & the wing came down with nary a snag. Meanwhile Dave had his best day & landed a mere 1/4 mile from goal.
Miles covered: 20 Flight time: 1:42
Altogether Dave & I drove 12 hours & each flew about 3.5 hours. . . This is within my personal 4:1 acceptable ratio of drive/fly. To be able to fly 2 out of 3 days in the Owens is great. Jack was very generous to offer us the use of his Tahoe to shuttle pilots up the hill. Dave was a great flying partner - able to candidly debrief with meaningful insights. The breadth of experience in this weekend's competitor list was unprecedented in BAPA comps. We had 5 US National Champs (including 3 of this year's US World's Team members) & many more top 20 pilots competing. What a great learning experience. Jug has done a great job of building this league to a regional status. His attention to detail & professionalism has made us all better pilots.
