The 2009 Santa Cruz Flats Race
With a similar forecast to the day before but with a prediction of stronger winds out of the northwest in the afternoon, we called a cross/downwind task first to Sunland, then to Houser, then to Redrock, and goal at the RC field just west of Tucson (and the airspace). 113 KM.
There weren't supposed to be any cu's, but we wondered if we would not get high again, despite the forecast, and would the lift be weak. The forecast yesterday was right on when it came to the winds, so we thought this one would be also.
We were off at a few minutes after noon, as I launched third getting pulled up again by the lower power tug. The lift was weak again in the start circle, apparently there were lots of relights. O'Brien and I found the lift way to the southeast, but after getting high at the edge of the start circle (7,000') we headed back to the resort and got low, just in time to get back to the edge of the start circle and get back up again, but not as high, just in time for the second start clock. That was a waste of time.
I glided until I was down to 1,500' AGL over dry flat fields. Jeff was next to me but then headed into the hills to the east. I floundered around feeling weak lift and finally found a core. The thermal averaged 440 fpm to 8,600'. And it was drifting toward the turnpoint. Jeff didn't have as good a climb and got behind.
Dustin was climbing over the hills and Zippy was behind us getting high.
My thermal made for a twenty kilometer glide around the turnpoint and half way to the next one. The second leg was a cross wind task over some cultivated fields, but there was some reasonable lift out there. I got out in front of Zippy and Dustin but they are a bit higher behind me.
We joined up with Jeff behind us, about half way to the second turnpoint, but Zippy and Dustin were 1,500' over me.
Four kilometers from the second turnpoint I blundered into 800 fpm and that got me to 9,700'. I only had a tee-shirt and speed sleeves, but it was comfortable. Dustin and Zippy made the turnpoint quite a bit lower while Jeff came in very low to the hills just to the east.
I ran down the hills with Eduardo but didn't find lift even as we headed for Picacho Peak. Dustin and Zippy were just out in front of me lower.
As I reached Picacho Peak I heard on the radio that Dustin and Zippy were just ahead of me getting up so I ran over to get under them. The lift was broken and weak and while they climbed to 8,000' I only got to 5,000' so I continued down the freeway getting the turnpoint and hearing from Zippy that lift was ahead. Down to 1,200' AGL I found lift where Zippy said it was, and got back to 7,000', 22 km out.
Zippy was complaining about the sink going into goal from 28 km out, from 9,000' (14:1). For me it was 22 to 1 to goal, so I knew I had to find something on the way, but there were plenty of green fields ahead.
The sink was as bad as he said and I was down to 1,200' AGL, 15 km out when a truck passed by on a road and I saw the dust. Now I know that dust does not a dust devil make, but I looked closely to see if I could find a curl in the dust. There was a tiny curl in one small part of the dust so I went for it.
It was weak and broken, but it was better than anything else I had found. I stayed with it, but drifted downwind of the course line and downwind of the goal. I just stuck with it until there was no way I was not going to make it to goal. I didn't want to land short in the Saguaro cactus.
Dustin was first to goal, and Derrick second, Zippy third, and Kraig in fourth.
http://OzReport.com/1253596053
|
