Why do we fly?

I often ask others on the hill what they get out of the sport. The answers vary depending on their skill level, experience, and sanity. The common thread seems to be the freedom and perspective that flying like a bird gives one. Here's a short film entitled "Because" that explores why 'we' do what we do. . .

because... from Ozone Films on Vimeo.

If it doesn't load, try this link:
http://because.flyozone.com/en/shortfilm/ or http://vimeo.com/1345187
This short film was created, written, and directed by Jorge Atramiz and Herminio Cordido, the same minds behind the epic film ‘The Never Ending Thermal‘.Whatever your reason or motivation is to fly, enjoy it!

Thanks to Loren for the link to the HiRes version!

My wrist is healing and I should be fine for the Nat's - Sept. 14th-20th. Looking forward to it.

Tim

Full Disclosure

Last weekend was a lot of fun & I included the high points in my email & blog. I hadn't been seen by a physician yet, so I neglected to mention that, after making goal on Sunday, I continued down the Dunlap valley to land near my truck at the school. I got popped up by some lift in the LZ and had to do some turns to burn the extra altitude. I misjudged my final turn & was at the bottom of a pendulum when I 'hit' the ground. It wasn't a crash or even a very hard landing, but I made the mistake of putting my right hand down while flaring. My wrist smarted a bit & began to swell. I had it X-rayed yesterday & have been diagnosed as a dumbshit with a significant break of the end of my radius bone. I'll be fine for Nat's (with or without a cast) but won't be flying for a while. . .

I used the harness padding & butt-slid the landing. I should have stood-up the landing, which would have protected my hands. FYI - I broke the same bone 18 months ago while walking across the street & tripping. . .

Be careful out there -

Tim

Dunlap BAPA Comp - August 9-10

The weather forecast for the Dunlap area called for light winds and good thermals to 6500' so I was looking forward to the weekend. Patrick from SLO joined me for the ride up & put up with my snoring in the pop-up.

The turnout was good, with all the regulars and a few first-timers. Jonas from SoCal (and the PG forum) was there and Greg B. made the weekend too. We also had Kaya and Ruth, who were very helpful in the role of retrieve drivers. Thanks ladies!

The first day's task was a variation on the usual valley tour and then a 16k leg from Bald Mtn. to Gage Station in the flats. After tagging Gage a 22k leg took us over Kaktus on the way to the pizza place in Squaw Valley. 68.6 Km. total.

I had a good start, but was a bit low at the first turnpoint (Sontag) - this didn't slow me much though, as I was fortunate to find a nice climb. I flew just behind the leaders for the first three turnpoints and then got slowed for a bit in front of the Dunlap Launch on my way to Bald Mtn. I took my time & got up high for the transition to Bald Mtn. I was able to cut the corner & went ahead of a few of the guys ahead of me until I got to Bald. There I overflew, without knowing it, Josh & Eric who had dirted while leading out. If I'd known they weren't ahead of me I might have taken a bit more time. . .

Anyway, Kansas was down low ahead of me on his brand new baby-blue Boom 5 and he made a great low save to continue on course. I flew by him but took a dumb line & got hammered by sink that took me to the ground about 5 Km. from the Gage Stn. turnpoint. Jug joined me about 10 minutes later and Tom M. was close. Kansas and Patrick (nice job!) managed to hit the Gage turnpoint before landing. Greg B. and Eric B. managed to get close to the Kaktus turnpoint to win the day with no one in goal.


SUNDAY
A few of us voiced our opinions that, although it is fun to fly tasks that are long, it would be preferable to have tasks that get 20-30% of us in goal. It is more enjoyable and educational to have 'doable' tasks. I like long tasks, but this league is not just to challenge those of us on 2/3 and comp wings; it's also to promote and teach the techniques, tactics, and logistics of XC competition flying. I'm an example of a pilot who has benefited by participating and learning from the likes of Josh, Eric & Dean. Even when I was flying my Sport 2 and landing short of goal, I was learning. It is frustrating to never get to goal though & I'm glad today's task was a reasonable length that also was technical enough to make decision making as important as the longer tasks.

The task set was 42 Km. in length and had us fly from Launch to Hill 49917 to Turkey to Sontag, across to Airstrip then to Delilah and Sampson on the main ridge, then over to Bald Mtn. & then to the Ranger Stn.

I launched about 45 minutes before the 12:30 start time & got high until the start. I hit the cylinder right on time & got to the first 3 turnpoints in the lead gaggle. The transition from Sontag to Airstrip was a 6 Km. glide & I really didn't want to arrive low over Granny. When Greg B. Josh, Eric R. and Kansas all headed across, I started to follow but REALLY didn't like the look of my chances so I turned to the ridge & climbed out in front of launch. The decision was conservative and slower, but it was validated when I arrived over the airstrip & saw a couple of the leaders folding up their gliders in a field short of the fix.

I soon was climbing up again to cross the valley to tag Sampson & Delilah (behind launch). I could see Josh & Eric but there was no way I was going to catch them so I took it a bit slower to assure goal. Eric was on his way to Bald (going West) as I approached 49917 (heading East to Delilah) and showed me the thermal of the Day. 800'/min. to 7400' put me in good stead for the loop to hit Sampson & Delilah without needing to stop for lift & then refueled me for the last leg to Bald & the Ranger Stn. I left the lift with 6.5:1 and there was enough lift to bring the L/D required to 5:1 so I was on as much speed-bar as I could stand for the final glide.

I placed 3rd for the day & Eric B. (a very good pilot) made me feel good when he said he was working hard to catch me on his Ice Peak but couldn't catch me. Today I feel like I flew smart and fast. This has been my goal for the season - to learn to fly with the comp wings and fly fast but know when to let them go.

It was a lot of fun flying with the group and Patrick flew great.

My Sat. Flight is HERE and my Sun. flight is HERE

Scores will be HERE on Tuesday night - So far, I think I'm leading the Serial Class!

A great weekend.

Tim

Chelan Day 6 - Task 3

Overall winners:

1st - Santiago
2nd Matt Dadam
3rd Eric Reed

Today' forecast was for climbs to 10,500' and light winds from the W and NW. When the throng of eager pilots got to launch around 10am Cu's were just starting to pop to the West and within an hour they were also forming on the flats to the East. We were going to go big and a triangle was in the plan.

The task committee huddles for a long time and then announced (what was to be) the perfect task for the day. A 120k triangle East to Farmer, then a North East leg to Leahy (the goal on Task 1) then return to the LZ in Chelan.

I launched as soon as the window opened - about 65 min. before the start. This wasn't my best decision of the day since the 120k task would take a while.

By the time I landed in goal, it had been 6:09 since launch. The lift was abundant and high in most places but there were still some cruxes along the route that dirted many good pilots who didn't realize they had to change to a slower pace for a bit. The air at the top of lift was very cold. Even with my balaclava, winter gloves, & hot hands, I was very chilly at altitude. We were topping out around 9500' over launch and I had plenty of time to practice runs at the 1.5k entry cylinder for the start. The gaggles formed above launch and, with 5 minutes to the start, I found myself in pretty good shape for the start. I entered the 1500 meter cylinder about 3 seconds after the start time in the perfect quadrant to tag the 400 meter cylinder & head out on course.

We all got low for a bit but were able to get up well as we moved East. I was doing well into the first turnpoint, but felt slow & low until I hit the best thermal of the day over Farmer. It solidified into a solid 1100'/min. thermal for 5 minutes and took me to 10,400'. I then caught many of the guys ahead of me as I headed down the second leg. Going into the second turnpoint, it looked like many of the leaders were very low & grovelling at the turnpoint so I tanked up as much altitude as I could before going in to tag Leahy. This paid off & I caught many of the lead gaggle (which was beginning to break up). Soon I found myself getting low & alone & had to wait for scattered lift to solidify into solid 5-600'/min. I was looking at 15 miles to goal & it seemed like forever until I was on my final glide.

The final glide was also very tricky since the rim of the Columbia River Gorge is 2000' above the landing field at the bottom of the gorge. In order to clear the rim of the gorge you must not rely on the final glide on the instruments. . .The problem was, nobody knew when a safe final glide would be sufficient - 5:1? 6:1? I decided 5.5:1 would be enough & was fortunate that it was, but it looked bad for a bit as the rim was coming up to meet me as I was gliding into the goal. Many pilots had to land on the top of the rim or find lift at the last minute to make it into goal.

I made it to goal today & set a personal best of 74 miles (120k)& 6:09 flight time (of which 5 hours were for the task). This put me at 4th in the Serial class & 27th in the open for the day. I placed 7th in the serial class overall.

The mood at the soccer field at goal was very *up* since we knew that the task was very well suited to the day and we had worked hard to make it into goal.

I felt that something was different than any other time in goal. I realized, as I sat sipping one of Steve Forslund's signature margaritas, that I was watching others - many others - arrive in goal after me. It felt good!

==================================================

Obviously I wish we'd been able to fly all 6 days but the three we had were great. Including my flight on the practice day, I flew 202 miles in 4 flights.

I made goal 2 out of three days and had great starts every day. I used my condom catheter on two flights and am happy with the ability to hydrate at will and yet fly comfortably for six hours.

A thanks to Doug & Denise for putting on such a friendly comp and to Kevin for running the show. The task committee and volunteers did a great job.

A good week.

My flight is HERE

Results are HERE

Tim

Chelan Day 4 – Task 2

Today the forecast was for lower climbs and 10-15 kts of wind at the top of lift. We went to launch & had light winds on the Northeast launch. A task was called from The Butte Launch to Okanagan, 42 miles. This flight took us due North and was very critical when it came to decision making. We had the option of shooting East, across the gorge, to hit the flats upwind of the course line and then fly the flats all the way to the goal; or to head North, over some hilly territory near the Chelan Airport, and then cross the river near Brewster and continue directly to goal.

I launched early again. I had little problem staying up, but many other pilots got caught in some substantial down cycles & had to land before the start. With only a few minutes to go to the start, I had gotten high but was North of the start cylinder, so I headed back South to hit the edge of the cylinder just as the 1300 start time elapsed. I turned North on course and was gratified to see about half the field, heading to the airport along with me. I don’t like being in the lead, from a strategic standpoint, so I was loafing along at trim speed to let some of the comp gliders get ahead. We soon were getting low but found a good core that gave us enough altitude to continue searching.

We pressed on Northward, until we hit Brewster. There I got distracted and all my thermal buddies got higher than I. I tried to find the lift they had climbed away from me with, but all I found was unorganized lift and sink. I continued on course until I finally, about 12 miles from goal, had to land.
I hiked out a few miles to get to a sign the tell retrieve folks what road I was on & soon a ride appeared.

The other option was explored by a gaggle who took the first crossing to the flats right after the start. They had good success and rejoined the other gaggle North of where I went down.

Mike Steed is leading the pack and Kieth McCullough is the top Canadian.

Today was very exciting, because I really felt I was flying well & staying with the good pilots on the best comp wings. I was also making good decisions that kept me in the race for 20 miles – Until I didn’t. Once I lost close contact with my thermal buddies, and allowed them to get away from me with 11 miles to go, that was the beginning of the end. I made a ‘Hail Mary’ dive into a likely spot for a thermal but had no love this day & made an uneventful landing.
There were 41 in goal today and I only got 320 points for the day, which moves me from 29th to 39th overall. Tomorrow will be a better day & I’ll have figured out what the heck I was thinking when I let it get away from me.

Cherie Silvera won the day, with Mike Steed not far behind.
I've dropped from 29th to 39th overall & from 4th to 8th in the Serial class, so I hope we get to fly again on Sat.

Results are HERE.
My flight is HERE

It's Friday morning and the winds are howling, so I doubt we'll fly today.
Tim

Chelan Day 3 - NO TASK

Too much wind on launch again today. Too bad, it was a beautiful day. We all enjoyed the local charms.

Hope to fly tomorrow.

Tim

Chelan Day 2 - NO TASK

Called at 12:00 due to high winds associated with a small system passage.

Amir Izadi took some photos of the start and I seem to be placed well in the frame ;-) I'm on the grey/blue XC2

Thanks Amir -

It is 8 am on Day 3 (Wednesday) and winds are already very brisk. The forecast isn't encouraging for today so I doubt we'll fly. I saw Batman last night - Great movie.

Tailwinds,
Tim

Chelan XC Open - Day 1 - Task 1

Chelan Day One - Task 1

Today's forecast looked very good so anticipation was high at launch. We assembled a bit early to ensure that the rides to the top were adequate for the entire group. That meant that we spent two and a half hours killing time, socializing, checking out set-up, then checking it again. The lift forecast called for lower top-of-climbs than Saturday, but the winds aloft were forecast to be light until the Souterlies kicked in later. I took some time to review my goal for the day & this contest in particular. The flats can be tricky when the winds kick in and cloud bands can also require a gear change until the lift increases. My goals for the day were to get to goal & not make mistakes that put me in a "hole" that delays or dirts me. . .

The task was a short one - 63 kilometers (38 miles) that took us East to Simms Junction then North to Leahy. I launched early and got up easily, about 50 minutes before the start time. The thermals got rather crowded and tense prior to the start but sense prevailed. My start was spot on, I wasn't high guy but I was in the front and plenty high when I made it to the rim on the other side of the Columbia. None of the gliders ahead were turning in lift so I headed North a bit to reach a few gliders turning in weak lift. This turn took me to a sunny area and cut the corner so I made up some time on all the guys ahead of me who, eventually, came over also. Things went well for the next 20 miles & I wasn't far behind the lead gaggle until I got within 5 miles of Simms.

There was quite a shuffle in the lead gaggle as Marty, Dean, and many others got low & eventually landed near the turn-point. A few caught a ripper while many gliders were dirting in the shadow over Simms so I changed gears and took any & all climbing opportunities so that I could stay in the air until the sun-band came along. The low climb rate allowed the wind to take me NW (downwind) of the course line, which was very frustrating to watch, but I needed to stay in the air to make goal, so I took the slow climbs. Eventually my patience paid off & I caught a ripper that allowed me to get high enough to penetrate to the Simms turnpoint and turn back to the lift.

The wind that had been my nemesis for 35 minutes then became my friend. I climbed to 7000' and saw 7:1 glide required to goal, so I headed to goal. I pushed full speed-bar and kept it in until the end of the speed section 11 kilometers later. At times I saw 75 kM (46 mph) groundspeed.

The goal had many pilots already in the field but it was nice to start the comp with a flight to goal. I don't know the standings yet, but the scores will be HERE. It sounds like Jeff Wishney won the day and there were 25-30 in goal. I'm currently in 4th in the Serial class & 26th overall.

My flight is HERE.

The Tuesday forecast looks marginal due to winds, but I'll be ready if we fly.

Tim

First flight in Chelan

Saturday was my first day of flying at Chelan and the morning forecast looked doubtful that we would have a good flight, due to gusty winds. We drove up to launch at 1130am to look things over & see how the winds looked. My first thoughts were that the topography of the area is beautiful with the juxtaposition of the calm blue water of the Columbia at the bottom of a 2000' gorge that features amazing vertical rock walls. Once across the Columbia River gorge, in front East of launch, the land is FLAT agricultural land similar to the topography in Killarney AUS.

I was resigned to a local scenic flight. Today & tomorrow are just practice so I wanted a low impact flight to get the lay of the land. The sky was 50% or more covered in high cirro-stratus so the thermal action was dampened. A couple of students launched early & encountered some lift, so I decided to suit up & get off the hill before the mad rush began. I decided to only wear my shorts & a thin summer top & summer gloves, since I was not planning a long-high day.

The launch went well & I soon cored a thermal & got to 6000' (about 2300' over) I didn't want to cross the gorge without 6500' or so, and I didn't want to go alone, so I just boated around at the top of lift for 85 minutes while the launch queue filed into the air. Many were struggling down low so I tried to stay at the top of lift with some success. Finally a bunch of us got up to 6800' and headed across to the East side of the Columbia river gorge. I was looking at the clouds overhead & decided to let the guys on the UP Edges & IcePeaks to fight it out while I just took my time & stayed in the blue band of clouds. This plan worked for quite awhile - I'd stay in the sunny area until the clouds were approaching the sun, then fly on 1/2 to full bar until I approached the edge of the shadows again. Soon I was overflying many pilots who had raced into the shadows & dirted. I didn't have any waypoints loaded in my GPS and no map so I just kept heading East with a few other guys. I was freezing my butt off at 10000' in my shorts, but it was great to have the altitude.

Soon it was just me, Nick G. and Amir (on an XC2 also) heading for the Grand Culee Dam. I got a bit ahead & contacted Babush for a while as we headed Northeast. After 4 hours I was cold, hungry, sunburned & had a bladder stretched to its limits, so I decided to join Babush, Nick, and soon, Eric R. in a nice field. 10 minutes after getting to the road, Nick negotiated a ride back to within 15 miles of Chelan with a gun-toten, Wild Turkey drinkin' local guy for three of us. Tom picked us up in Brewster and we got back to camp around 7pm. It was a full day ;-)

Total distance 84 kilometers (51 miles)- not a bad first flight in Chelan. The comp begins Monday. My flight can be viewed HERE

For grins I'll be SPOT-Casting along the routes this week - You can see my progress by going to MY SPOT PAGE (WHICH I THINK ONLY SHOWS THE LAST 24 HOURS)

The crowd is starting to grow & it looks like it will be a fun week.

Tailwinds,
Tim

Heading North for the Chelan XC Open!

I am heading out tomorrow for the Chelan XC Open. This competition will act as the Canadian National Championships and is also a Pre-Paragliding World Cup event. It has attracted pilots from all over the world. The conditions look good for high & long tasks so it should be a very fun meet.

The drive to Chelan (Ctrl-click for a map of the area complete with waypoints) is over 1000 miles and will take two days. Our plan is to stop in Klamath Falls for the night. Tom from the Bay Area will be sharing my truck for the trip.

I'm hoping to get 1 or 2 flights in before the competition begins on Monday since I don't have a lot of experience in flatland flying and no experience in Chelan. . . getting familiar with the area will really help my flying.

I'm feeling ready though. My gear is dialed in. My batteries are charged & I'm feeling good physically, so no excuses ;-) This will undoubtedly be the biggest comp so far this year. It is subscribed to 120 pilots. The WCPC in June had only 50 and the Rat Race, earlier this month, had 88. Lots of talented pilots on the list too.

I'll be blogging as best I can - I don't know the state of cyber connectivity at our camp and/or competition HQ, but will blog as opportunity allows.

If you'd like to see my SPOT in action, you can visit my Spot Page and view the "spot tracking" as I fly.

I hope you all get some air. Wish me luck!

Tim

Between Competitions-

I’ve had a month between the West Coast Paragliding Championships and the upcoming Chelan XC Open to reflect on my quest to improve my performance and competition results this season. I haven’t had a chance to fly (due to my work schedule and the adverse local weather/fires) so I’ve taken the opportunity to tweak my gear and work on my ‘brainage’.

The gear tweaks consisted of some fine tuning of the speed system – I replaced my speed system line with 4mm tech-cord and eliminated the exit grommet from the system. I simply put a slit in the neoprene to allow the cord to exit the harness fairing without rubbing on the abrasive edge of the grommet. This seems to eliminate the ‘skinning’ problem I encountered at the WCPC which required twice replacing the speed system cordage during the comp.

I also modified my cockpit by relocating and changing the geometry of the hang straps and redesigning the flap hold-down system. I use a strap running around the waist strap and bag to give the cockpit some stability when yankin’ & bankin’.

WRT working on my brainage. . . I can’t understate the importance of proper mental attitude & preparation for a comp. Just as the mental variable can improve the chance of survival in a “defining moment” in one’s life (read Lawrence Gonzales’ book “Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why”) so can one’s outlook affect his performance.

We make many decisions each minute during a task. We are evaluating the air, position of other competitors, maximizing climbs, altering our speed in transitions, etc. Each of these variables can affect the outcome of the flight. At any one moment, we are 15 minutes and 100 or so decisions away from a landing. Gravity is our insistent and relentless constant. We have to beat (or at least delay our submission to) gravity while using it to propel us along our route to get to goal.

I’ve been rereading “The Secrets of Champions” by Dennis Pagen with a new perspective. Some gems from the best:

From Bob Baier:

"It should be made clear that if a pilot is afraid, overexcited, pushing too hard, or thinking too much – anything that prevents relaxation – he or she will not be able to learn how to get the ‘picture.’ So the first rule in becoming an excellent thermal pilot is to mentally relax.

I believe pilots should be in competition, and flying in general, for the long run. Being overly aggressive usually burns you out if it doesn’t injure you or worse.

It’s important to remember (that) we fly for fun, and pushing past the safety margins for a chance to win is not my idea of fun."

Of course I’ve also read a lot of how-to in this great book.

Next stop is Chelan, WA to fly the Chelan XC Open in late July to do some flatland flying. I hope that my experiences in Killarney back in January will help me adapt to this foreign flying venue.

Later –

Tim

Rat Race 2008

I see from my site stats that many folks are coming to this blog because it's listed as a Rat Race Blog on the website - Sorry for the hip-fake, but I was unable to make the Rat Race this year. I'll be at the Chelan Open later in July instead.

Here are some links for those looking for Rat Race 2008 info:

The Scores can be found HERE http://flyxc.org/ratrace08

The Rat Race website is HERE http://vip2comp.com/?q=node/4

And, finally, Bret's blog is HERE http://www.ridethecore.com/

And Alex's blog HERE http://ratrace2008.blogspot.com/

Fly Safe -
Tim

Dunlap BAPA Comp - June 21-22

CTRL/Click Photos for larger photos

The lapse rate was good and the winds aloft fairly light, so it looked like it was going to be a good weekend. We had a lot of pilots and it was nice to have some friends & family to help with retrieves. The tasks both days were ambitious but the flying was very good. I met Dave S. at the school & he stayed in the camper with me. I flew 8.5 hours in two flights and Dave flew over 9!

Saturday the task was a 77 kilometer task 3 valley crossings and then a 53k leg to Exeter out in the San Juaquin Valley. I flew much of the last half of the task with 'Kansas' and we traded leads as we picked our way down the foothills. Eventually I caught a thermal that provided sufficient glide to get to Colvin Mtn. out North of Woodlake. This hill has some significance for me since it was the first hill I launched off of and thermalled in a paraglider, 5 years ago. A buddy of mine lives at the base of this hill. I spent 15 minutes or so trying to get a climb but nothing substantial cycled up the hill so I ended my 4:30 flight.

I figured Dan & Denise would have beer in the fridge & be willing to give me a lift to where the retrieval car could pick me up. Nobody was home. Bugger! So now with thoughts of a cold beer dashed, I started my hike out to the main road, three miles away. Did I mention that it was around 100F with no shade? I drank over a gallon of water and still got severely dehydrated. Fortunately a good samaritan gave me a ride to Ivanhoe where I met up with Dave & Kansas for the ride back to Dunlap.
Eric B. and Josh C. made goal, with Eric R. Kansas, Me, & Dave, landing within 5-10km. of goal.
My Sat. flight is HERE
Sunday the task called was identical to Saturday's except that after Bald Pk. we flew to Gage Station and then back to launch & out to the Pizza Place in Squaw Valley. I spent much of the task flying with Andrei A. & Eric R. They were both on Comp wings so I needed to use quite a bit of bar during the transitions to stay with them. Conditions were very scratchy so we spent a lot of time mapping the weak lift. I was able to get a low save off a low ridge while the other guys waited for the next cycle and headed towards the Dunlap valley. I got extremely low over the airstrip and spent 10 minutes in zeros waiting for the release of a decent thermal. Finally I got a kick and then a red-tailed hawk showed me the core of a 500'/min. thermal back to 5000'. This climb got me back to last chance but that proved to be my undoing. I struggled for a while in ragged lift. After 4+ hours, in sometimes scorching heat, I didn't feel like fighting with trashy air low over the trees. I fought the fight another 15 minutes without making any headway towards the Dunlap launch waypoint so I landed & hiked back to the school. My Sun. flight is HERE

Dave, meanwhile, was making a gallant effort. He had flown the entire route solo (a feat in itself-given the day's conditions) and made the Dunlap launch waypoint. He struggled for a while on the way to Squaw Valley before getting low enough that he side-hill landed at the base of hill 49917. I say the base of the hill, but he had a 90 minute hike-out. An epic day for David, he placed 4th for the day.

I really felt good about my flying this weekend. I team flew with one or two guys on comp wings each day and was able to contribute to the team so we all could make progress. I made the decision to continue on solo when it was necessary. The results aren't out yet, but I believe I placed 5th in both of the long tasks.

Results are HERE

A great weekend.

Tim

Gotta Share

This site just entered my view, and I love it. The posters are classic anti-corp. and the humor is so cynical that it appeals - no end!

http://www.despair.com/store.html

Lessons from the WCPC

This Blog Entry has been edited for inclusion in the 2008 Rat Race Book. It is now an article entitled "Lessons I've Learned From my First Few Comps" and can be downloaded HERE

I got home late last night after a 10 hour drive. The pop-up trailer was very comfortable and made the week of flying enjoyable. . . I figure that having the 20-yr-old camper saved me approximately $700 over the 9 days I was in Jacksonville. I ate well & had fresh, strong coffee each morning while laying in my bed - Life was good, even when the temps dropped to 40F at night.

The flying at Woodrat was classic Rat. Nice buoyant areas of convergence that are accompanied by strong (sometimes nasty) turbulence. The tasks were very well suited to the conditions as they changed over the week. This competition attracted most of the top 50 pilots in the US and I was very happy to watch & learn. Josh, the Erics, Dean, Brad and many others were always willing to offer advice. Jug and I had a lot of fun flying together and watching as our different styles still had us meeting up at the next turnpoint or thermal, wing-tip to tip.

Lessons I learned are below - Some are repeats of lessons listed in prior comps. I never have said that I learn quickly or efficiently - Just that I'm learning. . .

Be ready to launch early. Then Launch early.

I launched at least 35 minutes before, and usually 50 minutes before the start. I am now confident that I can stay in the air if anyone can. This confidence allows me to sample the air, explore the start cylinder for lift, and try to make my own start rather than chase the gaggle.

Get a GOOD START

I had 4 really good starts and a couple of marginal ones this week. A big lesson I learned is that being with the leaders, but low-man, as you cross the valley is not as competitive as being behind and high. Go fast by slowing down if the climbs haven't come at the right time.

Stay with the Gaggle.

It's not easy to stay with the comp wings on my Avax XC2, but I MUST try. If I get dropped, the second gaggle is an excellent place to be. It is easy to drop back (actually let them catch me) to the 2nd gaggle and be the 'high-guy' when they get to my thermal. It is sometimes amazing how close the second gaggle is (in time) to the leaders when getting to goal. More than once this week the leaders raced themselves into the ground, allowing the next batch of gliders to tip-toe through the weak patch & make goal.

Don't get low - or alone.

My two worst moments were the desperate last ten minutes of flights where I hadn't heeded the prior rules. I found myself low & alone. Without help, the chances of finding a low save are very small. It's all about making high probability decisions. - Even bold moves must be done with good odds. It's like playing poker & knowing all the odds - Going all-in looks bold to someone who doesn't realize the hands showing are in your favor 75% to 25%.

Don't Give up - Until it's time to give up.

On the last task I had goal almost made. I glided into Boaz Peak low, hoping to get to the 1k circle and then glide into the goal cylinder 1.75k (about a mile)away. As it turned out, I turned away from the 1k cylinder with 750 feet to go because I was heading downwind, into steeply rising terrain, in crap air, and I heard my inner voice say, "Tim - You are not going to get extra attention from the ladies, or rich, or famous, if you make this turnpoint. Do what's smart & fly the jet." So I did what I knew I should, turned & made a safe landing on my terms in a nice field. No fame ;-) but I get to fly another day. If I'd pushed it, I might have made goal, but it would have put me in 24th place overall, instead of 27th - worth it when the down-side was ugly? Nope. . .

As it was, I landed about 100 meters from where Marty had thrown his laundry when his wing went away at 50 meters in the air. He used up some luck & walked away unscathed. His luck was compounded when he made goal by a couple feet while he hung in the tree! Welcome to the Caterpillar Club Marty.

To summarize - I'm learning the game. Fly fast enough to stay with the gaggle but be ready to change gears and slow down when conditions warrant. My speed system was not set-up to allow me full bar & this hurt at times. A.J. flew his 2/3 with the comp wings by aggressive use of bar & pulled it off day after day. He's an excellent pilot and will go very far.

I had a great time at the WCPC. My flying wasn't as consistent as I'd like, but I am really understanding what's going on. When I make a bad decision, I'm realizing the consequences much sooner than before. I hope to be able to use these lessons to avoid the bad decisions in future flights. On an up note - I felt like I flew really well for portions of a couple tasks. My attention waned, or fatigue set in, or something - but for a while, things were really clicking.

Next comp is the BAPA comp in Dunlap next weekend. Then the Chelan XC Open in Chelan WA.

WCPC Day 7 - Task #6

The final day of the WCPC is over and, in my opinion, today was some of the sweetest flying of the week. Lift was abundant and convergence lines made for some extremely fast transitions. Jug & I had a fun day, trading leads (with respect to each other) and helping each other stay in the game.

The task was a 66k task with many valley crossings before the long leg down to Boaz Pk. and then Purcell.

The task was won by Greg Babush with Jack Brown in second and Marty Devietti in third. Marty had the distinction of crossing the goal cylinder under reserve. He said that as he came to rest hanging from the tree, he heard the Flytec "song" indicating he had crossed the goal. Fortunately he was completely unscathed in the incident.

This comp has been an extremely enjoyable one for me. The guys & gals that compete in the US are a small group & we depend on each other for guidance and council. I have had and given both & really enjoy the interaction.

Scores are HERE.

Thanks Mike & Gail, for another great week!

WCPC Day 6 - Task #5

Today's conditions were much like yesterday's. A blue day with low tops and an inversion around 5K and light N-NW winds that would freshen in the afternoon.

A 68K task was called to Grants Peak - Applegate - Donato (near Talent). It took a while to get cooking but the thermals were much less turbulent than yesterday. The start was a bit lazy since many were still trying to get max altitude before the crossing to Rabies. The first two gaggles set up well & we were off. The leader gaggle found a sweet thermal over the last ridge before the turnpoint & got high while the second gaggle broke up looking for similar lift. It took a bit of patience and tenacity to hit the first turnpoint, but once it was tagged - it was all downwind to the goal.

Dean Stratton placed first with Bill Hughes, Nick Greece & Josh Cohn close behind.
Marty Devietti and Greg Babush are 21 points appart so today should be exciting.

I had the kind of day that I would be happy to throw away - All week the name of the game was lee-side thermals. Today I got into a strong sinker in the lee & had to dive downwind to provide ground clearance. This was the end for me and my priority became a safe landing. I only got credit for 14km and placed 38th for the day.

A good buddy had a landing incident not far from my landing & broke his pelvis. He's doing well & I'm glad he'll heal soon.

Results are HERE

Today is the last day & I hope to fly better today.

Tim

WCPC Day 5 - Task #4

For a day that looked like none of the 'wind-techs' could stay up at 1pm, the day turned out to be lots of fun. A 38k task was called with 6 valley crossings and then a downwind leg to Purcel in the Applegate Valley. Start time for the task was 3pm.

The lift was very spotty and low but most of the pilots got into Rabies on the way to Fly-Air for the first valley crossing. When the leaders got to the ridge they found absolutely nada. I was about 1k behind the leaders and found a small core in the valley that gave me 100-200 ft/min. for 5 minutes and allowed me to fly directly to the first turnpoint and snipe the thermals from above. This put me in the race for a while but I managed to find myself low & alone twice today. The leaders raced smart and read the day well. Josh Cohn won the day with A.J. in second and Marty Devietti third.

I had another good start and flew well for the first 30% of the task. I was often at the top of the stack with the lead gaggle. Then I made some subtle but critical errors that put me low and alone. I had one very low save that really invigorated me for the remainder of the task, but flew dumb the last 2 legs of my flight. I went down about 5k short of goal. Today's task went to the good technical tacticians who knew when to race.

I think, psychologically, an interesting thing happened today. Many watched as the wind-techs dropped out of the sky & were not optimistic about getting around the task. It looked to me like there was an early mindset of impatience and a willingness to go on an early death glide. The caused many early landings in the LZ either on the way to or from the first turnpoint.

The task was devalued due to the early casualties and short task length. I placed 21st today.

Scores are HERE

My flight is HERE

The top 5 overall are:
Greg Babush
Marty Devietti
Jeff Wishnie
Hayden Glatte
Jack Brown

The top 5 Serial class are:
AJ Frye
Josh Riggs
Paul Murdock
Brett Hardin
Meredyth Malocsay

I am now sitting 7th in the Serial class and 23rd overall. 2 more tasks to go.

More soon.

WCPC Day 4 - Task #3

The third task of the WCPC was a 63k task that took us over Rabies to Billy up valley towards Grants Pass then back to Jacksonville (Cemetery) then to the Woodrat Peak then an upwind leg to Applin.

The winds were generally North with the normal forecast for valley winds and the incumbant convergence areas. Today Woodrat got its pound of flesh by slapping & booting us in many places along the route. The first two legs across the valley & up to Billy were straight forward with some strong climbs over the high ground. The turbulant lift and strong sinky areas forced some into the lee at low altitudes. The long leg to Cemetary was challenging as the sink took many of us into the hills East of Burnt low. Many good pilots raced to the dirt here either into or returning from the Cemetery turnpoint. I had a low time with Jug and Babush but we were able to get up & back into the race.

As we headed to Woodrat Peak over Burnt ridge, we encountered a violent and strong left line along the convergence of the NE and the WNW valley wind. We got a nice climb and Jug & I tagged the Woodrat Peak turnpoint. Only one more leg to goal but a 16km.leg upwind made me wonder if a line along the convergence I had just flown over Burnt might be the route to goal. I didn't like the look of the flying I was seeing in the lee of Rabies and the fingers East of the Peak so I decided to give my idea a try. Jug didn't come with me, instead he flew a more direct line into the sinky lee of the ridge.

My route almost put me on the ground. As I approached the Burnt Ridge I encountered very strong sink and reached the ridge below ridge height in very turbulent disorganized air. I slowly worked towards the NW end of the ridge where I have had low saves before and manged to hang around for 10 minutes (it seemed like an hour) until a sweet but rowdy thermal took me to 7200'. I showed 10:1 glide to goal but had a headwind so I knew I'd need at least one more climb so I headed for the high ground over Rabies Peak.

Many of the leaders were grovelling at low altitude in the lee of the peak and on the foothills but I looked like I was in much better shape - or so it seemed. . . I saw Jack B. circling low but climbing so I headed for him (He was climbing in the turbulent lee - but I had to get up) As I approached Jack he was climbing much better & the sink I was encountering was really strong. I tried to find his ripper but had to settle for some rough lift. The late thermals were the kind where you thermal 1/2 of a turn and then sink for 1/2 turn, only to be blasted up 75' in the next 1/2 turn. I saw many impressive collapses today as the Rat bitch-slapped each of us. Fortunately I didn't get anything worth mentioning. My Avax XC2 handled beautifully in the challenging conditions.

It was at this point the wind really started howling from the NW down the valley. I saw 25 km./hr. at altitude and 20km./hr. at 1000'. I saw some really good pilots setting up to land & decided to join them. It had been a good flight of almost 4 hours, but I don't like scratching in winds of this velocity and turbulence of this ferosity. I landed in a big field with Brad G. and Dave W.

Marty won the day by a good margin, but my heros are the 4 Serial Pilots in goal - NICE JOB GUYS

I placed 17th today which puts me at 6th in the Serial Class & 24th overall. My starts have been very consistant and the bad decisions I've made have been easy to identify - which I hope means I won't repeat them. . .

Scores are HERE

Day 5 - Task 4 looks like it may be a bit more stable and light NE winds. . .

Tim

WCPC - Day 3 - Task 2

The weather forecast was for 20k winds from the NW & N at altitude but a short task was called that would have all competitors down before 3:30pm.

We had 20 kids from the local school on launch & fielded many great questions from them. The task was a quick tour of the Ruch Valley from launch to Rabies Peak to Squires Peak to Burnt & out East to Cemetery then down to Donato. I'm sure the kids had a great view from launch of the first 20 minutes of the task.

This was a very fun task. It was very cold at altitude with fast (sometimes rough) climbs to cloudbase. The wind never became a problem so some great racing was had. A few of the top guys dirted prior to goal but there were at least 20 in goal with a good scattering along the last half of the 31k task.



I had another good start & made generally good decisions. I misjudged my approach to one of the turnpoints but generally am very happy with the flight. It was a lot of fun to race with Jug.

Scores are HERE

Tim