http://skyout.blogspot.com/

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

http://naughtylawyertravels.blogspot.com/

http://hang6.blogspot.com/

http://gottafly.blogspot.com/

http://lucasridley.blogspot.com

Results here:

flex wing: http://soaringspot.com/flytec2009/

rigid: http://soaringspot.com/flytecr2009/

Given the extraordinarily good forecast for southerly winds right up the state in Florida, it wasn't clear whether we should try to break Jonny and Dustin's record of 283 miles (455 km) or go for the goal at Quest. We did a little of both before the task started, opening the launch at 11 AM, and starting the task start time at 12:30 (12:45 and 1 PM).

The cu's started early, around 9:30 AM and they were thick. It was a mouth watering site with the southeast winds, light at the tow field, but 14 mph up above.

I took a couple of tows early and didn't stick as everyone else just waited in the staging line. As I came down after my second attempt, the Jeff's, Zippy and Dustin were moving over to get in the launch line and I joined them a few pilots back hoping to have some markers this time. Still I had to get low far from the field to get under Zac and climb out.

The lift was good after we found it and that meant we could stay up until the last start time. The idea of going for the record stopped when I couldn't stay up in the lighter lift. Most of the pilots just joined up north of the cabal and we waited around for the last start time at 1 PM.

There was plenty of lift so it was easy to wait, but amazingly four pilots missed the edge of the start circle at the 1 PM start time: Jonny Durand, Jeff O'Brien, Mike Glennon, and Eduardo Oliveria. All of them were just outside the start cylinder at 1 PM. Some pilots didn't get the waypoint download and had to rely on written waypoints. Apparently there was a confusion with some pilots having the Florida Ridge waypoint from the previous competition (in addition to the new one). We'll see how that works out.

Fortunately, I crossed the start cylinder with one second to spare.

It was a fast race from the start with cloud streets ahead and cu's every where. Zippy and I headed on the course line left of Palmdale and highway 27. Dustin, and the Jeff's were a few kilometers to the west of the line.

After a weak climb in the first thermal outside the start circle, a climb that didn't last long, it was strong climbs under the cu's. We popped over to the west of highway 27 to get around Sebring and the last on its east side. There were wide open areas below the cu's and it looked good.

I wasn't stopping for anything that wasn't at least 400 fpm. There were plenty of nearby cu's to go to if one wasn't working. I caught up with Kevin Carter and was side by side with him just southwest of Sebring and going on glide.

There wasn't much lift under this one nice dark looking cu, I was high, so I headed for the next one, but it didn't produce. I could see Zippy a few kilometers ahead and there was a continuous cu between me and him and he reported that he was climbing. I headed his way but got nothing but sink even right under him. I had to go and land after running out of landing options.

Carl Wallbank had run into a similar situation finding 700 fpm down from cloud base and barely scraping it into the Lake Placid airfield. He thought for a moment that he wouldn't make it there and was going to land in the trees.

Dustin, the Jeff's, Zippy and Jonny got high in the thermal I missed and stayed high the rest of the way. The cu's were just perfect for a flight up the middle of Florida.

As the day got later the cu's filled almost the whole sky shading the ground from about 50 kilometers out. Still many pilots had no problem making it to goal.

So yet another extraordinary day of flying in Florida. What perfect timing for the first day of the Flytec Race and Rally. It looks like tomorrow will be good, but not up in Georgia. There is a front up there and we would have a tough time getting through that. The task tomorrow is only 105 km, and still in Florida, so we'll see what happens.