Big Spring US Nationals
Faced with another forecast for thunderstorms in the local area we chose to run to the west again and ended up with the same task as the day before starting at 2:30 PM. The weather is a bit unsettled in Texas this year, and we have been fortunate to call tasks that for the most part have kept us away from the bad weather.
There were no cu's showing up in the sky to encourage us to launch so we hung around until 1:15 PM. I was third to launch and a cu showed up right over the launch. We were towed to the west and huddled/gaggled together there only getting up to 5,600'. This was way too low to be able to get out on the course. It was still too early.
I pressed back to the airport as Shapiro radioed that he was getting up northwest of the runway. This area turned out to have much better lift and we climbed up under newly forming clouds to 7,900'. It was a party at cloud base. It was easy to stay there and the clouds were not moving too quickly outside the start cylinder.
I decided to take the second start time with half a dozen other pilots. Zippy and the Jeff's waited for the last (fourth) start time. The cu's were just beginning to form out on the course line and they wanted better development before they headed out.
I flew to the first cu, but the lift was weak so I left those pilots behind. I headed for the next wispy and found much better lift. Dave Gibson and John Simon came in under me and I left them when I got to 7,600'. The lift averaged 275 fpm, which seemed like a good deal on this day. There were a few cu's out in front, but not any close by when I headed west.
I headed back toward the course line which was to my south and I could see two hang gliders turning low and searching over multiple fields twelve kilometers out. I came high over them (Sunny and Andrew) at 2,700' AGL and found the lift that they had finally agreed was the best. I climbed at 200 fpm to 6,500' and then decided that a cloud to the southwest looked too good to pass up. I was hoping for better lift and I left my temporary friends. Of course, this was a big error.
I raced over to the dark cloud just three kilometers away and found nothing. I was soon down to 1,300' AGL. I found lift that averaged 150 fpm, having left better lift when I was quite a bit higher. Stupid.
It took a while to climb out of this hole that I put myself in. Fourteen kilometers before the first turnpoint I climbed up to 7,700' as I watched Zippy and the Jeff's come in low under me. Of course, I again left my buddies and headed for the turnpoint on my own. I was soon low again down to 1,100' AGL.
I had to work my way back up again as the 15 mph wind pushed me to the northwest a bit away from the turnpoint. I left 200 fpm to get the turnpoint before I passed too far past it. Of course, I wasn't high and was soon down to 1,000' AGL past the turnpoint. I searched around down low down wind (21 mph) and luckily for me there was 265 fpm waiting for me just where I needed it. I was getting hot and worried about my ability to stay up and get to goal. Zippy and his buds passed high over my head.
I was not through with low saves and I had to do one more a few kilometers later, but now I was going to be sure to stay in whatever thermal I found and not worry about its climb rate. Just hang on and get high again.
Fourteen kilometers from the second turnpoint at Andrews I started working a thermal that averaged 144 fpm from 4,700' MSL (1,700' AGL). I think that I was flying with Bill Soderquist. He came in under me after looking around for a thermal and we slowly climbed up.
I was just off to one side and climbing a bit faster. I kept going over him to check out if he had better lift, but it was always worse. And it was weak even where I was. I only climbed to 6,500' and then decided to head out once again leaving my buddy behind. As soon as I left apparently it turned on as he was quickly above me. I went back and found the good lift that had suddenly showed up.
I climbed up to 7,800' but not as high as the two other pilots that I saw above me. It still required another thermal with the wind pushing me away from the turnpoint to get to 8,000' and a short jump cross wind to the turnpoint at the Andrews airport.
Now the course turned north and there were no cu's ahead of me. Fortunately, I found a thermal right after the turnpoint in the blue (there was a dust devil ahead). I was happy with the 200 fpm and I took it to 9,200'. It looked like that was enough to make it the next 25 km to the goal.
I did find some lift along the way so going down wind to goal was a breeze.
I had already heard the O'Brien had landed 13 km short of the turnpoint. I later found out that Zippy had left Shapiro on the way to goal thinking that goal was in fact a turnpoint, with the goal at Andy (our original task). He came in over Gains at 8,000' saw the gliders below and realized that his turnpoint was in fact goal. He turned around and headed back south any way. He got twenty kilometers back. Shapiro made it in.
Derreck landed out and took out his glider and ran his bell. He has another glider to fly tomorrow.
http://OzReport.com/1250225934
|
