2010 PWC Superfinal Task 3

LATE EDIT -
Well today was a tough one for some of our guys -
Jack Brown and Nick Greece were leading out, much of the day and had great times to the ESS (end of speed section) but landed a few hundred meters short of the goal line. This mistake (which was also made by many others in the lead gaggle) cost them 500 points.

For Nick, who's flown quite well, today's score will be discarded when the next task is flown.
Nate, Len, Josh, Brad, and Eric all had a 900+ point day today, so they are still in the running after the discard.
Cumulative results are HERE
Stay tuned.

Tim

**********************************************************
Another task flown today.  Around 100 pilots into goal with (at the time of this post) Jack Brown of the USA crushing the field (in terms of PWC finishes) by almost 3 minutes.  All 7 of the US pilots made goal today and Nick's lead may not be enough to hold first, over Japan's Kurimoto, but it looks like he'll be in the top-2 or 3 after scores are tabulated tonight.  The US Pilots are flying very well and, if enough tasks are flown, the low task score will be dropped - which will help the overall scores of those who had a low task score on the first or second task.

The weather forecast for tomorrow looks OK, but the wind is coming on Saturday so there may be some down days for the guys to rest.

I'm off to the Owens Valley for a three-day end-o-the-season XC Comp.  The turnout will be large and it should be fun.

Tim

Again, for those who are looking for links to stay in touch with the action, here are some links -

- Live LeaderBoard

- Organiser's site 
- World Cup site 
- Pilot list 

Blogs 
in English: Jack Brown : John Ellison : Neil Roberts 

Miscellaneous 
Weather forecast 

2010 PWC Superfinal Task 2

The cumulative results are HERE.  Nick Greece (USA) is leading the Superfinal after two tasks.  Eric Reed is the next US pilot at 23rd.  Len and Nate are in the top-60 but the rest of the US pilots have had one bad day.  Their standings will improve when enough tasks are flown to allow a discard, so noone is out of the running at this time.  Nick's lead is small but impressive considering the stature of the field.  NICE FLYING!

Here's a bit of video, shot by  Phillipe Broers.  You get a good feel for the type of flying a PWC task requires.  Today's task was 63K with an average speed of 41.3 kph! That's fast.


Superfinal Turkey taks 1 from broers philippe on Vimeo.

Tomorrow's weather looks good for another task, but later in the week they can expect some wind.

Go Team America F*#K Yeah!

Tim

2010 PWC Superfinal Task 1

The "LiveTracking" units didn't arrive in time for Task 1 so the provisional download leaderboard is as fresh as the news gets.  It looks like many of the big names fell out early in the course.  Still many names to be checked in at this time.  At the moment, Nick Greece (USA) is leader and Josh Cohn (USA) is in the top-10.

http://www.fastretrieve.com/download/

Tim

Ask me why I fly . . . I dare ya.

The perspectives available, when flying close to otherwise unviewable landscapes, at slow speed, and hanging from a virtually noiseless machine . . . Sometimes they take my breath away. 

Watch this video and then ask me why I fly paragliders.

VERTIGE from Stéphane Boulenger on Vimeo.

2010 Paragliding World Cup Super Final

The PWC Superfinal begins this week.  For those of us, in the US, this year has been a very progressive and successful year for the top pilots.  Much of their success is because of their commitment to fly in PWC events around the world.  2010 was also the first year of the altered PWC format, allowing pilots from the non-alpine nations to compete in more regionally located events.  We also had our first PWC event, held in the U.S. this decade - U.S. PWC event in Chelan, WA in 2010.





The bottom line is that we have 7 pilots in the Superfinal in Turkey this week:
Jack BROWN (95)
Josh COHN (595)
Nicholas GREECE (451)
Brad GUNNUSCIO (744)
Eric REED (717)
Nate SCALES (158)
Len SZAFARYN (164)

Good luck to all!

For the rest of us, this can be a great spectator event.  It is still not evident that the "live-tracking" will be used in this event, but every morning I hope to get some information out.  As always, the information is at the mercy of the web access available to the participants and the meet organization.

Below is a list (put out by Tom Payne with some additions by me) of potential information sources during the event.
There may also be info HERE

Official sites 
- Organiser's site 
- World Cup site 
- Pilot list 

Blogs 
in English: Jack Brown : John Ellison : Neil Roberts 
in French: Charles Cazaux : Ain Team Parapente / Team ABAC : Yann Martail : Julien Wirtz : Maxime Bellemin : Jean-Michel Aro-Somohano 
in German: Swiss League : Helmut Eichholzer 
in Russian: Russian Team 

Miscellaneous 
Weather forecast

Dunlap Pilots in Goal

Frank Marquis just sent me this photo (taken by Jon Stallman) of the happy faces in goal on Sunday's BAPA race.  Congrats to everyone!

BAPA Comp in Dunlap - Sept. 2010

Smoke at sunset

The troops met in Dunlap for the last time in 2010 this weekend.  The weather was reasonable with clear skies and light winds forecast.  I arrived at the top on Friday night and watched the sunset while assembling my pop-up trailer.  The sky was red and the sun a bright red due to smoke in the air.

Saturday morning we awoke to smoke clinging to the canyons and in the air.  Apparently a fire was burning in the Sierra between Dunlap and Bishop.  It was in the deep Sierra and wouldn't affect our flying tasks to the West, but was a good indication of the Easterly evening wind.

Saturday Jug built a task that had us do the valley tour, then head Southwest to Cutler, and back to meet at the pizza joint in Squaw Valley.   I launched early and found the lift to be dependable up to the 6,500' inversion.  I manged to get a great start and was first over to Hill 49917 and back to launch for the leg to Last Chance.  Fred went ahead of me on the way to Last Chance.  Josh and Jug took a higher line than I did on the way back to launch and we flew together for the remainder of the task.

It was obvious, as we proceeded from Hill 49917 to Bald Mtn., that the West wind was much stronger than expected.  The leg SW to Cutler was going to be tough even if we could get up at Bald (which we didn't).

Everyone except Fredric landed at (or prior to) the ranger station.  Fred continued on to land a few kilometers South of the pizza joint.

My flight is HERE.

Sunday's forecast was similar to the preceding day's with light, Southy winds.  Jug built a great task of 24 miles that had two valley crossings and some good opportunities for tactical decisions.  As it turned out, the task was very enjoyable racing and put a lot of pilots into goal.

I had another good start and was chasing Josh around the course.  Another gaggle was trailing me by a climb or two and kept me hustling to stay ahead.  It was nice to find climbs when you needed them and, sometimes, nice climbs were found in spots that usually don't work too well.

My last climb was to 7,000' and gave me sufficient altitude to fly to Bald and then to the finish.

It was a very fun day of racing and great to see the happy faces in goal after one of my most enjoyable flights in Dunlap.

Cumulative scores for the league will be HERE when they are up.

Next week the league heads to the Owens Valley and it's looking less than likely I'll be able to attend.  I hope the weather cooperates and you all go high & far.

Fly Safe -

Tim

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

Flymaster B1 Nav

Large vario display w/ 4 UDFs

For an interesting twist to the B1Nav saga, see THIS.

I've been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try out the Flymaster B1 Nav integrated variometer.   The unit was delivered to me while flying in the Chelan, PWC event and I flew it without much prior knowledge of the capabilities and user interface (UI) of the unit. I carry an aging Flytec 5020 and a Garmin 76S on my cockpit usually and am very comfortable and familiar with the combination.  Adding the B1 Nav to the mix would be interesting . . . especially adding it to my scan while competing in a XC comp.  I really didn't know what to expect from this new instrument and had limited expectations since its price is quite a bit less than the other, comparable instruments on the market.   One thing I had noticed was the enthusiasm displayed by those pilots using the B1 Nav.  Especially regarding customer service and the firmware improvements made in response to user feedback. Cristiano Pereira, founder and software developer for Flymaster, is very active on the Flymaster Google Group and I have seen requests from pilots go from idea to implemented firmware update in 48 hours.  The value of integrated flight instruments is their ability to reduce the pilot's workload; to 'get things out of the way' and allow him to think about the task and the course.  All of the available units do this.  My goal was to find out if THIS instrument does what is expected and what it does well. . . or not -

General Impressions -  
The B1 NAV comes boxed with a very nice storage case to protect the unit when knocking around in your kit-bag.  The case is a hard case with zipper and protects the screen from damage.  A USB cable is supplied for unit charging and data transfer, as well as wall charger for fast charging the unit.  The B1 has a nice 'feel' with a plastic case that is sturdier and more streamlined than the Flytec 5020.  The screen size is twice the size of the 5020 with a resolution of 320X240,  and similar in size to a 6030 - a nice big display.  The four UI buttons are easy to use with gloves and their use is intuitive.  In general the package is well designed and robust.  Noticeably missing from the packaging is a User Manual.  For that, one needs to go online.  This is a reasonable solution since documenting firmware upgrades can be done more efficiently with an online revision to the manual.  More about that later.

Getting Started -
Out of the box the unit had firmware ver. 1.16 so I went online and found that the latest version was 1.20.  Downloading the Flash program and installing the revised firmware was simple and easy.  I used GPSDump to load the Chelan waypoint file and, 15 minutes after plugging in the USB cable, was ready to aviate.  Setting up the User Defined Fields (UDFs) was simple also.  The list of options available for UDFs is extensive and expanding regularly to meet the requests of pilots.  There are two groups of six UDFs programmable by the pilot, so having 12 UDFs available provides a large amount of visible information.

The Guts -  The B1 Nav uses a 50 channel GPS engine and seems much more reliable than the Flytec GPS system.  The battery is a built-in Lithium-ion battery, charged by a USB cable.  A wall charger is included and will fast-charge the battery.  A connection to any USB port will slow-charge the unit.  Battery life is reported to last over 20 hours.  I prefer to have the ability to swap out batteries (like my 5020) but the versatility of the charging options and battery life makes my bias moot.

Small vario display w/ 6 UDFs

Use of the instrument - 
This unit has the standard variometer features, which include a definable cadence and frequency.  I chose UDFs that suited the type of flying I was doing - XC competition Race-to-Goal.  Every popular UDF option is available and more are being added with each firmware update.  The screen shown at right is the small vario version of the display, with six UDFs visible.  The display shown in the top graphic is the large vario version with four UDFs.  To switch from one group of UDFs to the other involves the push of one button.

It's obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the programming of this unit.  It has very useful features that other integrated GPS units have failed to provide, while gleaning the best features of the existing units.  As an example, when programming the 5th task of the PWC in Chelan, the Flytec and Garmin units were unable to program the task as assigned.  We all 'worked around' the task parameters to make the task defineable on our various units.  The Flymaster, on the other hand, was able to allow definition of the entry/exit cylinders as assigned - While the top pilots in the world, with the fanciest GPS units made were having fits to define the task.  Chris has been flying in competitions for many years and has developed a suite of very interesting features.

For example:  The Buzzer - The Buzzer is an audible indication that you are not climbing yet, but that you have entered an area of buoyant air that needs exploration.  One thing that I experienced (and it seems universal) was an initial feeling that the unit is way too noisy.  Soon though, after adjusting some of the audio parameters, and a desensitization period, I grew to appreciate the information provided by the various growls and noises emitted from the unit.  The Buzzer is a nice addition when scratching in weak conditions and I found it very helpful.

The Thermal Core Indicator - Initially I doubted the value of this feature.  The B1 Nav looks at the rate-of-climb in 50 meter altitude slices and plots the location of the best lift.  This feature is very helpful in re-centering and staying with lift when climbing in winds and/or inversions.  I actually grew very fond of this feature.  A word of caution though.  Less experienced pilots may become a bit too fixed on this 'dot' and not realize that it only plots the best lift that you have flown through.  It is still necessary to explore the area so as not to miss the real core of the thermal.

Route Optimization - The B1 Nav will plot a 'least distance' course between turnpoint cylinders.  This is of extreme value when tasks are built with large cylinders.  A recent post by Adrian Thomas noted:

"Long floaty glides in the smoke til about 10k from the turnpoint (set to keep us from going over the back of the hills), then long sinky glides to the turnpoint. The flymaster pilots are good to know when trying to find the tangent point on a 5k cylinder, I imagine all the other instrument makers will be upgrading software to optimise routes round big cylinders now."

I do not think the optimization includes wind factors in its calculation, so there is still some room for the pilot to increase the optimization, but this feature is a big help.

Versatile Start and Finish Line Programming - The B1 Nav allows for the programming of tasks in all types of competitions.  In the aforementioned example at a recent PWC event, we had to do a normal 'exit' start around a fix, then fly to a 50Km radius exit cylinder and back.  The B1 Nav allowed the programming of both cylinders without problem.  The programming of a 'Finish Line,' often used at PWC events, is also possible.  A finish line is perpendicular to the last courseline and a set width (see graphic above).


Overall Impressions -  The Flymaster B1 Nav is a versatile, powerful, and robust instrument.  The firmware is being revised often to meet the expectations and requests of the users.  The presentation provides plenty of information and has a user interface that is intuitive and easily navigated.  Most importantly, the guy who has driven this project and builds the B1 Nav's back-end brains, is involved.  Christiano participates in dialogs with the pilots who are using his product and revising it to meet our needs.  This is one of the most exciting aspects of being a B1 Nav user.  When a problem is encountered or an idea for a new feature is voiced, we have the ability to participate in the process.  This is how a software driven instrument should evolve.   


I asked a local US dealer about service for hardware problems, and he indicated that most hardware service will be handled locally, allowing a quick turn-around.  


The pricing of this instrument has allowed many more pilots to consider an instrument of this caliber.  With a retail price below $700US, the B1 Nav is half the price of comparable units.  Don't underestimate this tool, it is made with quality, versatility, and pride.  


I got my unit through WWW.FlymasterUSA.com and Jug also takes good care of his customers, providing quick service turnarounds in the US.


Tim

Once again - Why We Fly

I fly with some cool guys at work.  They have been flying their whole lives and have reached a level in aviation where over 350 people trust them with their lives.  But when these professional pilots find out that I fly these crazy non-structured wings, at high altitudes and for 70+ miles, they are a bit put off.  "How can you risk your life for something so trivial?" they ask -

Well, as I've written here before, I need to get into the air as much as I need to breath the stuff.  It's not a rational thing.  I'm comfortable that I am acquiescing to the irrational.  An artist does the same when he allows his strokes to be spontaneous.  A potter does the same when he whacks an otherwise symmetrical pot to make it unique.  I fly paragliders because they give me wings; and who among us haven't had dreams of flying unencumbered by the limitations of wakefulness.

I just came across a great video that expresses the obsession of paragliding well.  I share in this pilot's addiction, to his fears that one day, I too will be unable to feel the freedom and exhilaration of foot-launched free flight.  "I fly, because I can."



YouTube Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r7zKMo3-eA
Fly safe -

Tim

Kinsley Thomas Wong needs your help & support

Kinsley Thomas Wong, (many of you know him as Kinsley Wong) was involved in a very serious kiteboarding accident recently. Kinsley has always been very involved in advancing the sport of paragliding, especially in the early days with his forum on Big Air Paragliding. He's continuted to support the paragliding community even now with his on-line store and school. If you've met him, you know he's one of the happiest most optimistic guys around, and he always has a smile for you when you show up to fly, whether you're new or experienced. Below is a copy of a letter from paraglider pilot Marina Chang, who is setting up an effort to help Kinsley and his wife Jamie, please check it and, and check out the website mentioned in the letter for more information. Thanks everyone.

For those who have not been informed, Kinsley ThomasWong of Xtreme Big Air was involved in a kiteboarding incident in San Luis Obispo County, CA, on July 15, 2010, resulting in trauma to his head and spine. While his prognosis is uncertain, the medical costs and potential future care costs are immense.

To be proactive on behalf of the ThomsWong family, several friends have taken the initiative to reach out to the kiteboarding and paragliding communities for help. Though Kinsley has insurance, it is 30% co-pay until a certain amount paid is reached. Meanwhile the costs for the medevac, ICU, surgeries and upcoming extended-stay treatment in the spine care recovery unit in Santa Clara have and will continue to be been astronomical. Also, some costs of care and recovery simply won’t be covered by insurance, while long-term care needs could be a distinct possibility.

Many of us have been graced by Kinsley's selflessness, kiteboard/paraglide advocacy, passion for the ocean/air, and unique jovial spirit.

In particular, the kiteboarding and paragliding communities are considered Kinsley’s extended family. At the same time, we all realize that while we fly or kite solo, kiting and paragliding is a community sport where we have all likely been helped out of a jam by another at some time. Kinsley has elevated so many lives and has promoted both sports passionately, including the annual KiteXpo (Expo) in Pismo Beach. We would like to give back and hope you will join us in our outreach effort by donating to his health and recovery costs. Please also help us spread the word of this effort through your own networks.

We have created a website dedicated to Kinsley’s progress. http://kinsleydonation.weebly.com/index.html. Here, we will keep you all posted on Kinsley’s recovery progress on the Kinsley Condition Log and Blog links on the website’s menu. You can make comments on the blog link, or, post your own thoughts, photos, stories and electronic greetings (these are great to show Kinsley!) on a new facebook page we created just for this purpose (Friends of Kinsley ThomasWong). Under the “what you can do tab” on the website, you will find information on how you can help support Kinsley and Jamie through the Kinsley Thomas Wong Donation Fund.

Contributions can be made by check, paypal or directly to Bank of America. Unfortunately, donations to one individual for any philanthropic purpose, such as illness, are not tax deductable. But, donations are considered gifts and are not taxable income to the beneficiary. Additionally, unless the donation is specified ‘anonymous,’ at some point we will acknowledge those that contributed individually or through businesses (no amounts specified). All other information is confidential.

Donation checks can deposited in any Bank of America branch for the Kinsley ThomasWong Donation Fund.

If you want to send a check by mail, please make checks payable to Kinsley ThomasWong Donation and send to:
Melinda Thomas
26 El Viento
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Thank you all for your kindness and support.

All our best,

Marina Chang, Steve Davies & Kipley Lytel

2010 Chelan PWC - Day 7 - Task 6

77K Out and Return task from LAUNCH to BREWSTER SCHOOL to CHELAN BUTTE to SOCCER FIELD

The day started slowly and lift was weak at the Butte. The start gaggle, once again was an unorganized mob, roaming for any available lift. There were two groups heading North from launch. Those that I flew with, crossed to the rim & the flats before turning North. The other group headed over the Chelan airport & to the high ground on the West side of the gorge.

Those of us who crossed to the rim were, soon, desperate. I found myself circling in zeros waiting for someone to get established in lift. Finally my zeros became 150'/min and everyone came to me. The lift continued to bloom to 600'/min. and the race was on. A few of the pilots I flew with dirted at the rim; others bombed out prior to making it across. For the next 35K it was climb/glide/repeat until approaching the Brewster area. I found myself getting low and dove into a spot that seemed likely to produce lift. This was my last act - before landing on a dirt road next to the wheat fields South of Brewster.

The group that proceeded along the West route made good time until reaching Brewster where they found broken thermals and strong winds from the SW. Many of both groups dirted South of Brewster. The few that made it back to Chelan had trouble hitting the 400M cylinder around the Chelan Butte. There were 7 in goal today. Josh Cohn scored well enough to cinch the podium.

Top-Ten are:
Josh COHN USA Niviuk Ice Peak Eagle Paragliding
Nicholas GREECE USA Ozone Mantra R10.2 Eagle Paragliding, Flytec
Yasushi KOBAYASHI JPN Gin Boomerang proto Fly Gin 
Ayumu MIYATA JPN Gin Boomerang 7 Aerotact-JPA
Jack BROWN USA Ozone Mantra R10 FLYAboveAll
Len SZAFARYN USA Ozone Mantra R 10.2
Ulrich PRINZ DEU Gin Boomerang 7
Dean STRATTON USA Ozone Mantra R10.2 Flytec & Eagle
Andre RAINSFORD ZAF Ozone Mantra R10.2
Carlos Daniel GOMEZ VEN Gin Boomerang

My new Gradient Avax XC3

Five of the Top-Ten are from the USA - a great showing for the first PWC on US soil in 18 years.  Congrats to Josh, Nick, Jack, Len, and Dean.  All the top-ten pilots deserve respect for enduring the long rough tasks assigned during the Chelan PWC.  I really had a great time.  Doug and Denise Stroop did a great job of running a fun, friendly comp and I hope they can be convinced to do it again.


Results are HERE
My Flight is HERE

My performance during the first two tasks was fairly good (in 44th place after two tasks) but the last three tasks were not my best effort.  I made some serious mistakes that put me on the dirt before really getting into the meat of the tasks.  I finished the comp in 66th place.  With any luck I'll learn from the mistakes I made and improve my flying before the Sun Valley Nat's in August.

Fly Safe
Tim

2010 Chelan PWC - Day 6 - Task 5

120Km task from CHELAN BUTTE to 50K arc to CHELAN BUTTE to GONAM PEAK and back to SOCCER FIELD.

 

The task today was simple, cross a 4k exit cylinder around the Butte, fly out to the East 50K and then return to cross a 3k cylinder around the Butte, fly to Gonam Pk then to the Soccerfield.  It is conceptually an easy task to visualize and fly, but it gave fits to some who couldn't figure out a way to program it into the computerized GPSs that we use to navigate.  I had three GPSs on board today, my trusty Garmin 76S and my Flytec 5020, and a new Flymaster B1 NAV.  The Flymaster was the only GPS that allowed the task to be programmed directly.  The others I just set reference points and used their indications to provide range information for the turn back to Chelan Butte.

The 50k radius and restricted zones

I launched early and flew for an hour or so before the start.  The lift was weak and fickle.  At times there were 80-90 pilots all between 5500 and 7000' roaming around for any lift.  When one wing began a turn the collective would gravitate towards the area crowding into one big massive (and unproductive) rotating swarm of frustrated pilots.  To make it even more fun, every once in a while there was a pocket of particularly snotty air to put somebody into a rockin' & rollin' recovery among the throng of gliders trying to avoid him.  Eventually I got high and boated around with 10 minutes to the start.  I found a nice core and racked it up in the tight thermal for a few hundred feet, all by myself and before everyone attacked my thermal, I rolled out in perfect position for a nice run at the start cylinder.

A North to North West wind was forecast and lower climbs than on previous tasks, so we all headed slightly North of course line.  I was doing OK for the first few thermals, but started noticing that pilots who allowed themselves to get below 3000' AGL were struggling to find and get up in thermals.  I changed gears a bit and used the 300-400'/min. climbs to get me to 6000' or so before moving on.  Eventually I was working with a couple of Swing Stratus' a U4 and a Boom 7.  We made the 50k radius and I turned for Mansfield on the way back.  The NW wind at altitude had picked up and it was slow going to head West.  I worked the best lift I could to minimize drift and maximize speed, but the lift seemed to be spotty South East of Mansfield.  At one point I led out and must have gotten distracted while eating my energy bar, because when I looked back, the guys were going up and too far away for me to reliably get to their spot.  I drove on with the hope that I would also stumble onto lift, but it didn't materialize.  I landed South of Mansfield and had a retrieve in about 15 minutes.

The guys who were in the lead gaggle and second gaggle did a great job of getting back to the rim, but their struggles weren't over yet - The Butte was in shadow and not working very well at all.  About one half of the wings who made it to the rim ended their day without reaching Gonam Pk.

Xavier wearing his "more likely to be picked up
when hitch-hiking" T-shirt 

This task may be giving the scoring software some fits, like it did our instruments.  Xavier is French and has a distinctive way of thinking that doesn't seem to play well with computers - go figure ;-)

Rumor has it that there were 10-20 in goal.  It looks like Jack Brown may have won this one.  The live leader board is down at the moment so I'm in the dark too.

Results will be HERE when they become available.

I covered a little over 72K . . my flight is HERE

Gradient XC3 - Impressions after some XC Competition Flying

For those who are watching this blog for info on my experiences with the Gradient Avax XC3, I can say this - It is one sweet wing.  My hope was that the wing would retain the handling of the XC2 while displaying increased performance, and the guys at Gradient pulled this off magnificently.  

The wing feels and responds to inputs much like the XC2; so much so that I felt very comfortable close to the terrain and flying strong, rough thermals over the flats of Eastern Washington, on my first flights of the Chelan PWC.  The trailing edge is a bit firmer than the XC2 without that 'stiff-brake' feeling exhibited by the Gin and Niviuk EN-D wings.  The brake travel is about the same as the XC2 but I find the XC3 to have less spin tendency than even the XC2.  I still haven't reached the spin point while flying the wing in very snotty tight thermals.  The wing is very good at communicating the location of the 'bubble' core of the thermal.  The wing is very communicative while not being jittery or twitchy.  The ride is pure Gradient - not stiff and rough - more cushioned but firm. . .

There have been reserve tosses every day in Chelan but my wing has been purring along with nary a tuck.  I was able to get the wing to frontal while flying at 3/4 bar on the practice day (my first real flight on the wing) and was able to save it by reducing the bar and a brief, sharp, tug on the "C" risers to keep the tips back.  The frontal promptly popped out and away we flew, on heading and on speed again.  I love this wing -

I'll explore the corners of the envelope more when I'm in better air & less gaggle traffic -

The build of the wing is still very light but durable.  The ribs at the leading edge are reinforced with partial mylar laminations with plastic 'strimmer lines' about 3/4" from the leading edge of the wing, running from the top of the nose of the airfoil along the bottom edge to 5" or so beyond the "A" attachment points.  There are 'gibus arches' incorporated in the ribs along the "B" attachment points.

On the third task of the PWC the conditions at launch were very light and fickle.  The launch queue was moving very slowly as many were having fits coaxing their 2 and 3-liners into the crossed light winds.  I laid out and brought the wing up easily, built it on the way up and got off the hill easily - Much like the XC2 in it's easy ground handling.  I used "As and Cs" alot on the XC2 but am using the brakes and As on this wing because it only has the 3-lines.

Speed-bar is fully usable and very effective.  I can feel that beyond 3/4 bar the glide is affected quite a bit, but 3/4 or less is very effective in keeping up with comp ships.  I had many transitions where I was gliding with comp ships and getting to lift sources at the same altitude and time as they.  Flying this wing gives me the mind-set that I'm on a competitive wing.  I don't have any direct comparisons against the few GTOs and Omega 8s, here in Chelan, but the Boom and R-10 pilots flying with me are indicating that I'm getting excellent transitions with them.  Climbs are also very good.  The sink rate has been improved from the XC2 and the handling is good enough that it's possible to use the rough lift more effectively than the less maneuverable ships. 

Landing is simple - enough said?

These are my early impressions, but I think that there is little lurking for me to discover.  I've been flying in rough conditions for 5 days now and am very happy with this wing.  Highly recommended for pilots with the experience to fly a high-end EN-D wing, especially recommend for pilots who like the gradient handling and/or have experience on the XC2.

Tim