https://airtribune.com/2017-quest-air-cross-country/blog__day_21

I love these days. Days that require patience. Days where you get a good look
around at all the possible landing areas.

I get pulled up first as Larry defers. I pin off at 1,600' in the first lift I
find on tow, light lift at maybe 100 to 200 fpm. I know that the lift is weak
but it felt consistent on tow. I figure that with the light winds I can just
hang in the weak lift and slowly get up waiting for Larry Bunner, Rob Clarkson,
and Ton Lanning.

My climb rate averages 100 fpm in pleasant lift,  and I climb to 3,900'.
Tom is lower, but Larry and Rob and I get together with Tom following. We all
together go to the northwest over Osborn field and leave at 4,200'. The day is
looking good even without cu's. There are some way way to our east.

We head further northwest south of Mascott. I find good lift and report it back
to Rob and Tom. Larry has his own thermal a little further north. Rob and them
Tom come over to me but low. They search around but don't get up and land in the
same field as Larry and I climb out above them to 4,700'.

Larry and I worked together to the first turnpoint at Cheryl staying high and
finding 200 to 300 fpm climb rates. At the turnpoint due to a little
miscommunication we lose each other. I head across the forested area south of
the prisons while Larry goes on a more northerly route near the prisons.

I found 400 fpm in the middle of the forest to 5,000'. Heading upwind to the
eastern edge of the forest I get down to 1,300'. At first my climb rate is
merely 63 fpm. I move over and it increases to 250 fpm. This is the first of
five low saves.

Larry is above me as I circle up 5 kilometers from the turnpoint at Baron. There
is a swamp to cross to get to the turnpoint and then you've got to make it back
so getting high before going further north is the ticket. I climb to 4,700' over
the Florida Turnpike as Larry gets the turnpoint 3 kilometers ahead of me.

With this altitude I am willing to give it a go across the swamp, getting the
turnpoint and coming back. Of course I hit 800 fpm sink crossing the swamp. Take
the turnpoint at 2,500' and head back to find weak lift over the swamp.

I head further south, after a bit of circling, back to where I got up just to
the south of the swamp. The lift is still there but it has moved a bit to the
west and I connect with it at 1,500'.

Heading south at 4,000' I turn in anything as I am quickly down to 2,300'.
Getting down to less than 1,800' I'm in survival mode working anything that
works. The wind is 9 to 10 mph out of the north northeast and I'm going south
southeast.

Finding lift that gives me an average climb rate of 119 fpm from less than
1,300' I drift quickly and with a lot of searching around to the south
southwest. Nothing is solid and I'm just trying to stay up and drift closer to
Quest Air.

I'm watching all the fields to the south. Down to 800 AGL I am unzipped when I
find a little something for my fifth low save with a climb rate less than 100
fpm. I drift with it over open fields until I get to the chicken coops. It turns
on there to 250 fpm and I climb out from 2,100'.

The lift improves as I continue south and soon I am plenty high enough to make
it back to Sheets field. I had great opportunities to hang in weak lift and stay
up. I wasn't at all sure that I would make it back. Many times it looked like I
would soon be landing. I just was willing to stick with anything that was going
up when I was low. I love that kind of flying.

Larry made it back. This was the task I had set, but Larry thought it was too
short at 80 km, so he asked me to throw in another turnpoint at the intersection
of 474 and 33 south of the glider port for 114 km. Larry decided not to go past
Quest on his way south and I was all for my original task.

Looks like more blue days ahead.