Comes the threat of local cumulo-nimbus development. There was a
forecasted 30% chance of rain under a high pressure and no front coming through.
On Sunday the first convergence OD of the season didn't happen until after 6 PM
and it was a beautiful flying day, so Monday could prove to be the same.

Lots of cu's and lots of pilots ready to fly. But high above there were bands of
thick whiteness periodically shading vast areas below. The day looked iffy early
unlike the previous wide open day, so we changed the task for this light wind
forecasted day to up and down highway 33 instead of the more extreme around the
Green Swamp.

With Joel Froehlich, Bobby Bailey, and Evgeniya Laritskaya towing we had plenty
of resources to get the dozen or more pilots in the air around the tandem
operation. Mick was up early. I got Joel to take me up five or so minutes later.

Joel found lift at the end of the runway and banked up the Dragonfly. Not as
much as Bobby would, but enough to let you know he was going to hang in the
thermal. After a few seconds I pinned off at less than 1,000' which Joel
appreciated. It was going up and there's no reason to hang on to torture the tug
pilot.

The climbs were slow until I saw John Simon far below to the east climbing up at
600 fpm. A few turns in that and I was off to the north. John got to 4,500' went
on glide without looking to the north to see what was up and glided to the
ground at Grass Roots airfield not stopping for weak stuff. What was happening
to the north? Nothing. Blue area devoid of cu's. Cu's to the east and west of
the course line. High white stuff over head.

I stopped for the weak stuff because I had experienced it off tow and John was
taken in by the 600 fpm that he had found. I had to go back and forth under cu's
just north of Groveland before finally finding better lift to 4,100'. 
There were a few cu's ahead combined with large areas of shaded ground.

Three of us climbed out on the south side of Grass Roots as we watched John move
his glider around at the airfield. That lift was weak as was the next thermal,
but looking at the sky you were happy to stay up at all. There was gray every
where and the cu's were flimsy.

Mick was ahead and we could here him calling out 200 fpm at the turnpoint so we
knew that it was possible to continue on. Four kilometers from the turnpoint
(the intersection of the Florida Turnpike and highway 33) I found 400 fpm on
average to 4,600'. Mick came and joined in on his way south back toward Quest.
He had topped out at 4,500' at the turnpoint.

Making the turnpoint and coming back to the same area worked out but only to
3,800'. Looking ahead there were again very few cu's and lots of shading. I
chased the few cu's to find weak lift off the course line and tried to stay up
as Mick worked up at the chicken coops. At this point Mick and I decided that
going down to Deen Still and 33 was not in the cards. The day was too weak. So
he would head back to Quest once he got up.

I found 180 fpm north west of Grass Roots that got me back up to 3,700'. Then
100 fpm west of Grass Roots with Rich Cizaukas who was below me working it also.
Leaving at 3,500' I headed for a set of small cu's, mere wisps,  to the
south east, but there was nothing there.

Down to 1,900' eight kilometers north of Quest over swamps with few good landing
areas ahead and thick white clouds high overhead blocking the sun I decided to
turn and go west to better prospects for landing than downtown Groveland. There
were some nice fields near the chicken coops.

As I headed west the high overhead clouds moved to the east, and the sun came
out west of highway 33. Down over the best looking field at 900'AGL with the pod
bay doors open. I saw the sun light hitting the ground and felt the air lifting.
I stayed with it even though it meant zero sink for four and a half minutes.
Rich came in under soon after I arrived at about 500' to 700' AGL.

Finally we both found where it was actually going up and instead of landing out
we both got up at 200 to 300 fpm. I climbed to 4,300' as Rich continued to climb
below me. I had Quest easily from that altitude and came in with plenty. Mick
had made it back. Rich would continue on course and land out not too far south
of Quest.

The sky had opened up and there was sunlight on the ground every where in the
neighborhood, but not to the northwest where there was a cu-nimb. Good thing we
cut it short.

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/2.4.2018/17:39