The results

We want to mix up the tasks, calling short ones after long ones so that we all get a good rest day while actually flying. Flying at Forbes can be exhausting because the conditions are so good and we fly almost every day. We are trying to make it more fun here this year and not wear out the pilots.

The RASP/BLIPMAP forecast called for afternoon isolated showers. The winds were strong at 19 knots at 9 AM gusting to 27 knots. But the forecast called for 12 to 14 knots later in the day out of the northwest. With good lift before the clouds from the thunderstorms came over. Cloud base was forecasted to be 6,500' with lift to 9,000'.

Given the winds, the forecasted showers, and the desire for a short task, I suggested a 103 km task to the airport at Young to the south south east. It would be a cross wind task in a strong wind.

When we got to the airport pilots were voting with their feet, choosing to hang around near the hangar instead of driving out to the setup area. I went out to setup but didn't attract any followers. I then moved the task times back one hour waiting for the winds to die down.

The cu's that we had forecasted were showing up now and this is always a big draw for hang glider pilots. Even the winds look lighter when there are cu's. They had started to our east and now they were building all around and over us.

We went back out to the setup area and this time the winds weren't quite so scary so the rest of the pilots followed and we hurried to get ready for the 1:30 PM launch. The tug pilots were caught off guard not aware that we were serious about getting on with the task, so it took a few minutes for them to get about their business of getting us in the air.

I was second behind Attila and the launch conditions were safe. I pinned off when the tug went below me at 900' AGL and went back to find the lift we had just flown through. It was moving fast, about 18 mph, out of the northwest, so it was hard to stay with it but it was strong enough to keep me up and allow me to find better lift.

The cloud base was obviously not 6,5000', but rather 9,000'. The wind carried me down wind of the course line. I pushed up ahead and climbed under the clouds to over 9,000'. I was waiting for the second start clock.

Half a dozen pilots had headed southwest also trying to work upwind, but they were all getting low. I worked straight west and stayed high. Seven minutes before the second start time I headed toward the edge of the start circle from six kilometers out. This turned out to be a bit too early and I had to wait under some clouds at zero sink but down 2,500'.

The pilots to my south (including Scott Barrett) came back to get the start circle and I was above them as we headed south. There were cu's and streets every where, but we had to go cross wind to get down the course line.

I found a strong thermal as the pilots below me continued to search and work weaker lift. I climbed up to join Federico.  We headed south to keep to the upwind side of the course line and to stay to the right of the large patch of trees and hills down the course line by Grenfell.

I was soon on my own and the lift was broken and hard to work. I was going slow without any help and working poor lift. I wanted to stay clear of the trees, but found reasonable lift on their western edge and jumped over them south of Grenfell.

I headed for the clouds to the south trying to line up the winds to the airport. I finally was able to get directly upwind of the airport and head downwind. I got over 7,000' twenty kilometers from goal and it looked like it would be a glide to goal, but the sink was strong.

Down to 3,000' over some sheep, I searched around and found strong lift. It was the best lift of the flight and I held on too long 15 km from goal. I came in high to find twenty pilots at goal.

The thunderstorms and rain did indeed come, but later than forecasted. On the way home we drove through lots of rain.

The prognosis for Steve Elliot (Missy) is still not good.