After the task the gust front and rain - great call by the task
committee

A great call by the task committee to call an out and return and a
bit shorter task that gets us back an hour before it blows up at the Francisco
Grande with a strong gust front and heavy rain.

https://airtribune.com/2015-santa-cruz-flats-and-mark-knight-memorial/blog__day_1

Replay: https://airtribune.com/play/1032/2d

The task was shortened to make sure that we got back in time before any bad
stuff happened.

The five Swifts and the class 4 and ATOSes gliders were off first and got up
right away. They started their task at 1:30 PM while we would start at 2:30 PM.

The high clouds that were present earlier had thinned out by the time we started
to launch at 1:15 PM. Mitch was flying a trike and gave me a nice tow. So easy
when the trike pilots know what they are doing.

The lift was light in the start cylinder until just before the 2:30 PM start
window. Then it averaged 400 fpm and we all climbed to 6,800' and headed out
with a 7 mph tail wind from the west. We glided 10 km to the east northeast to a
300 fpm thermal on the northeast corner of Casa Grande, just west of I10, and
over a bare field that was marked with a big swirl, perhaps from some previous
car action. We climbed to 5,800' before heading east northeast toward some small
hills on the east side of I10.

There is a bit of lift at the hills but I have been watching Bruce Barmakian in
a Swift east of the hills as I approach the hills he suddenly starts climbing
really fast. I race toward him trying to leave the lead gaggle behind. Of
course, I'm not Superman even if I think I am and Bruce leaves the lift before I
get to it and I don't find it. Now I'm out on my own as the gaggle behind me
climb up.

It is bits and pieces of weak lift as I watch the gaggle slowly catch up with me
and pass me. It's a survival struggle for until just before the turnpoint 5 Km
short of the Valley airfield where I find 400 fpm to 6,500'.

Heading back it is a 4 mph headwind. The lift is better (200 - 300 fpm) then it
was on the way out which is nice given the headwind rather than the tailwind.
There is overdevelopment over the mountains to the south and north. I can see
virga to the west of the Francisco Grande.

I ignore the weaker lift and make it back to the field where we found lift on
the way out. I go west of it but have to back downwind to actually get in it. It
turns out to be the best loft of the flight getting up to over 600 fpm and
averaging almost 500 fpm. I take it to over 7,400' in a 6 mph headwind. It's a
glide into goal from 15 km out. It's easy to get into goal stuffing the bar all
the way.

An hour later the rain and a gust front hit the Francisco Grande at 5:30 PM.