The
results.




http://www.westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/



http://www.jonnydurand.blogspot.com/







The last day of the NSW State Titles. The forecast was for no cu's, strong east
winds (up high) and strong lift. Things turned out a bit differently. The winds
were lighter than expected.



The winds were light on the east launch (as forecasted) with a bit of south in
them. We set up on the carpet on the east side. I was hoping to get off on the
southeast launch.



Peter Bolton was setup on the south launch. He started the carnage off with a
strong run down the carpet and then past the carpet, but the glider never got
flying, and he pancaked in with the result being a broken collar bone. He was
seen later back at the pub in "good" shape. Conrad looked after him.



Another pilot went in on the east launch taking out two down tubes as he drug a
wing and "landed" the glider thirty feet down from the launch, facing uphill. It
was quite a sight from above.



Later another pilot was not able to even make it out to the very nearby bomb out
zone that is itself almost too small for hang gliders and landed in the trees. I
didn't get to see that one.



I had a strong launch from the southeast launch and got up right away. I
continued to climb slowly with Joel McKay and Francisco Utero. Allan Bond who
launched a few pilots in front of me in an Airborne Fun was high above us and
downwind. He chose to fly his Fun today after a dodgy launch the previous day.



I climbed out at 280 fpm, to 6,000'. The GPS record from the Flytec 6030 shows
6634', but I don't remember seeing anything above 6,000'. I had previously (the
day before) set the altitude display to display GPS altitude, but I don't know
if that sets it as the default. When I looked at the screen on launch it seemed
to be the same GPS altitude from the day before (minus the altitude difference
between the east and west launches).



I couldn't get over 6,000' and the same was true for Joel McKay who was nearby.
I could see Allan Bond higher down the course line outside the start circle and
Francisco got a little bit higher than Joel or I. It was 2:15 PM, the second
start time. I had launched at 2 PM, the first start time.



I kept flying around in the no lift/no sink area with Joel until almost 2:30 PM.
There were now a few people off the hill and flying near the south launch. A
bunch had landed in the bomb out zone.



With a couple of pilots getting up above launch I decided to head back to the
launch and join them. I didn't want to take the 2:30 PM start with only 6,000'
when the forecast for the day was much higher.



I headed back from about four kilometers out to the west and downwind of the
hill. I dropped like a stone (after spending half an hour in lift). My L/D was 6
to 1 and I barely made it over the top of the hill. I was then sinking fast on
the east side wondering if I would make it past the trees as I hit 900 fpm down.




The sink didn't stop until I made it out to almost the bomb out area. Conrad and
Jonas were turning and I joined them. There was a number of pilots low and
working bad lift just to stay up.



I climbed out at 127 fpm with Conrad. This thermal finally go to 180 fpm and we
climbed to 5,000' just before the last start gate opened. By the time I crossed
the start circle I was down to 3,500' much lower than I had been half an hour
before when I decided to go back to start again. Oh well.



Conrad was off to my left and a little higher. I followed him over to the small
range to an area that should be funneling the lift if the wind was blowing from
the east. He found 450 fpm and we took it to 7,500', a big improvement.



Joel McKay, who I had been with earlier had already landed, so perhaps it was a
good idea to wait. I headed out early from the thermal and took a northerly
route to the hill I had gone to the previous day 14 km west.



There was lift there and then I headed to the middle of the gap as I watched
Matt Barlow plummet heading to the north side of the gap over the hills and
trees. He showed me where I didn't want to go. I figured that there would be
nice lift on the little hills just before the gap, and sure enough that was the
case. I climbed out with Bruce Wynn to 7,500'. Conrad was off to our north
getting up over the trees over Matt.



I quickly headed for the turnpoint leaving Bruce behind with Pedro a little
below me. Jonny and Blay were nearby. As I came to the turnpoint I saw Conrad
just ahead of me. The sink was bad, but he caught something just beyond the
turnpoint at Wenart. We climbed back to 7,500' joined by Bruce, Pedro, Jonny,
Dick Heffer, and Blay.



This was a wicked thermal and I was holding on tight. I saw a dust devil form
below us. Then I saw Matt Barlow come over the dust devil at about 1,000' AGL.
He later said that he really got tossed around.



I followed Conrad to the north west toward the next turnpoint. He found a
thermal near the mine that Bruce was working and when I came over to it I didn't
appreciate it so continued on and got in front. It was a ten kilometer glide to
the next thermal and I was down to 3,700' before I saw Conrad hit the thermal to
my left.



He climbed to 7,200' and I to 6,200'. We had all the other boys (see above) with
us also. We made a straight glide to the turnpoint at Baan Baa and found a
thermal just on the other side. My vario showed that I had goal by 700', but the
lift was strong so I stayed in it for two minutes.



It was a quick glide into goal, which was only 81 kilometers out from Manilla,
as we had to get back for the presentation. Seven pilots all came into goal
within four minutes of each other.



Francisco, who I was flying with earlier, did take the 2:30 PM start when I went
back to the hill, and got to goal in the third fastest time, but got many
arrival points, winning the day.



The Spanish team has done very well here at Manilla, second and third overall,
with a thirteen for Francisco. Allan Bond made goal on his Fun.

http://OzReport.com/1234013363