38 58 10.92 N,75 52 0.00 W,Highland Aerosports, Ridgely,
Maryland, USA

Amazingly enough given the forecast for a 70% chance of rain, we
had a valid task. With the last forecast telling us that the rain would pass us
to the north, the task committee chose an out and return task to the east with a
strong west southwest wind. The sport guys just have to go out.

The launch opened at 12:30 PM with the sky full of cu's, but I waited around
with Pete Lehmann and Tom Lanning until 12:44 to launch. The lift was light but
it was easy to get to the cloudbase at 3,400'. Then it was easy to go from cloud
to cloud and stay at cloud base near the edge of the 5 km start cylinder.

The only problem was at cloud base one can't see much of what is going on out on
the course line. I mean we were right there at the edge of the clouds with
wispies all around.

At 1:29:24 I lead out to get inside the start cylinder. Turned and going on the
course line I had Pete, Bruce, and Charlie following. We headed under two cu's
and did not find any lift. This was not good.

To our north there was a cu-nimb and it was raining hard about 10 to 15 km's
away. Down to 1,500' I started turning in 100 fpm. The air was funky in the way
that is characteristic of air near cu-nimbs. I got Belinda on the radio and had
her go check the radar to see what was up with this storm.

Flipchuk joined me as we worked this bouncy and weak lift and drifted toward the
cu-nimb and the rain. Pete didn't find lift with us and headed further toward
the cell getting down to 900' before he found lift. Charlie landed. The wind was
12 mph out of the west southwest.

At 2,400' I left the lift that I didn't like and flew toward more cu's to the
southeast. Down to 1,500' again and under the fast moving clouds, I started
turning in zero sink as I drifted toward the turnpoint. Other pilots came over
me not much higher and turned but I was not finding anything worth while.

After fifteen minutes I lost the zero sink and subsequently landed at the
turnpoint.

Pilots who came after us stayed higher and got to the turnpoint at about the
same time I did, but high enough to get back up under the clouds as the cu-nimb
moved off to the east northeast. Pete climbed up downwind of the turnpoint and
got up enough to get back west toward the cu's.

Pete, Oleg, Mitch, Rich, and Greg were able to make it make to goal with a stiff
headwind.

Three sport class pilots were able to make it to the turnpoint, which was their
goal.

https://airtribune.com/ecc2015/results

https://airtribune.com/ecc2015/results/task2/day/class-1-sport

https://airtribune.com/ecc2015/results/task2/day/class-1

At 8 PM the thunderstorm struck here at Ridgely.