Gary Osoba <wosoba>
writes:

Several pilots are attempting Distance to a Pre-Declared Goal
World Records Today, despite blue conditions at the start. Here's BJ Herring
coming off the cart at 10:19 am:

Glen Volk started his task shortly thereafter.

See their live SPOT track logs
here.

And Attila's SPOT track log
here.

Most pilots have declared Big Spring, TX and Attila has declared Garden City, TX
after a relight to fetch his sunglasses.

The first few days of the WRE have seen pilots setting up, tuning gliders, and
practice flying. The first day of full flying had some fabulous local
conditions, allowing pilots to size up the terrain and the sky.

 I had a short practice flight in the Electro Silent Light Sailplane,
connecting with the Zapata Coudstreet late afternoon. I ran it 4 times, about 20
miles each, after circling a few times at the beginning of the first run and
none thereafter. Each run was faster with last 20 mile leg averaging 112 MPH and
no appreciable altitude loss. After a low pass at 156 MPH and landing, I think
I'm going to really like this one.

The next day all the pilots took a quick run up to Laredo to practice the early
run and check out the Laredo airspace avoidance issue. A heavy rain the night
before squashed distance beyond that point but after a rather long retrieve for
BJ and Jim Yocom, all were back and ready to fly the next day.

Two of the first four days the mornings have the Zapata convergence zone evident
- dry Pacific subsidence on the right contacting lively moist Atlantic/Gulf
moisture on the left.

The final pilot for this year's WRE is on his way from Valle de Bravo, MX- -site
of the next Hang Gliding World Championship. We expect Dutch-born Leon van
Seeders to arrive tonight or tomorrow.

Update: Heavy Cirrus band moved in north around Laredo. Looks like its putting
some pilots down early.

Looks like Attila made it about twelve miles to the San Ygnacio
Road. Other pilots are in territories where it will take a bit to get out, but
perhaps through the Mangana-Hein road, quite a bit south of Laredo.

BJ's landing spot here.

Looks like Mike Bilyk got a helicopter ride out: