The task:

Four turnpoints. A zig zag task assuming an east wind. Cu's started popping
before the 10 AM pilot meeting. The start time was moved back again to 1:30 PM
to make sure that we had plenty of lift for the pilots who launched first.

The forecast was for good lift, the kind we always get here in Florida with a
high cloud base and light east winds. So far we have had east winds every day.

Tom Lanning was off first and I was off at about sixth with my team right behind
me. There was 100+fpm lift at 1,400' so I pinned off and slowly climbed up to
over 4,000' as plenty of pilots joined me just over the launch area. This time I
only had to spend 40 minutes over Quest waiting for the team to congeal up at
cloud base at 4,600'. Matt, Glen and I took off to the northwest with three
pilots in front of us and plenty of cu's along the course line.

I glided 9 km to the nursery west of Mascotte. The three pilots in front turned
north at Mascotte and headed for some good looking cu's. Down to 2,200' I turned
over the middle of the nursery and found 140 fpm. Matt joined me. We saw Glen
low on the east side of the nursery suddenly start climbing well. We shaded over
there and found 250 fpm to 4,600' and went on glide for the first turnpoint at
Center Hill. Matt was just behind me and I suggested to Glen that he climb up to
cloud base before leaving.

It was a 10 km glide to the turnpoint and around to the second leg to a cloud
where I saw three pilots, including Larry and Greg turning. I was down to 2,500'
before I got to the lift, but I thought that the glide was pretty good at 16:1
with an average sink of 220 fpm. Matt behind me didn't get as good a glide and
didn't get the first waypoint before he joined us in the lift.

It was broken and weak at 150 fpm. I watched Larry high head for the next cloud
and waited to see if he would turn. I was hanging with Matt and Greg, and Tom
was circling just off the deck below us. I headed for Larry when I saw him
circling but Matt headed back to the turnpoint. I didn't know at the time that
he had not made the turnpoint, so I could not understand what the hell he was
doing.

Greg, Jim Weitman and I climbed in Larry's thermal at 300 fpm to 4,600'. I
didn't know what was up with Larry, but it turned out that he couldn't help any
of his team as his microphone cable was broken. So he was helping Greg help Jim.

As they all headed to the second turnpoint to the south I headed back north to
find Matt and get him going. He was circling low over Tom  and with David
Lopez. They were in weak 60 fpm lift and I came over them and joined them in it.
I needed to relax and stay with Matt. Glen was behind but getting slowly to the
first turnpoint.

I went south a short distance to a nice looking cloud, found 250 fpm and climbed
to 4,600' as they all came in under me. At cloud base I told Matt that I was
going to go to the big dark cloud south down the course line and that as soon as
he got to cloud base to come join me. After a six kilometer glide I was in 350
fpm with Larry, Greg and Jim who had by then made the turnpoint only 3 km to my
south and were back in this nice thermal heading to the next turnpoint to the
north northwest.

At 4,800' and cloud base I went south to the turnpoint and then came back to the
same area where I got up to find Matt not very high. After fifteen minutes he
finally found a nice thermal and we left for the turnpoint, for me again. Glen
was there but 1,000' below us as we took the turnpoint and headed back to the
north to see if we could find the strong lift one more time.

I found 132 fpm and Matt came over to me as Glen landed just south of us. I
climbed to 3,100' and said I'd go look for better lift to the north under good
looking clouds. I didn't find it and landed. Matt landed soon thereafter, both
of us just short of the third turnpoint.

Larry, Greg, and Jim struggled just south of the Cheryl (third) turnpoint (about
where we landed) and Cory caught up with them. Only a few pilots made it into
goal.

Bob Caldwell<<rcaldwell>>
writes:

Shot this looking toward Orlando from the gulf coast at 1 EDT.
38,000 ft. Sweet looking sky, hope soaring was great.

http://soaringspot.com/gss2015/results/club/daily/day4.html

http://soaringspot.com/gss2015/results/club/total/day4.html

https://airtribune.com/2015-green-swamp-sport-klassic/blog__day_4