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Wills Wing pilots - Jeff O'Brien, Jeff Shapiro, Dustin, Zac Majors



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They'll be up later, maybe not until the morning.



A great day to finish the Rob Kells Competition. We had wonderful soaring
conditions and we got to see a whole new part of the state.



The forecast was for 10-15 mph east southeast winds turning south as we went to
toward the west coast and to the north. The task committee's idea was to head
off in that general direction. We also wanted to send the Sport Class off on a
long task, sort of making it an open distance task for them, although giving
them a chance to make goal.



The task setting turned into a bit of a nightmare as we changed the task three
times to deal with different issues that came up as we got new information about
the goals (there were 160 gyrocopters at one proposed goal) and we had two
turnpoints with the same name (when it was shortened by GPSDump) and one of them
was used for the last iteration of the task, so that caused more confusion.



We finally decided on a 125 km dogleg task to the northwest with a turnpoint
south of Wachula, then a leg to the northeast back toward Avon Park to a little
grass strip out there. The Sport Class didn't have to take the turnpoint.



Shapiro and I took the second start clock along with Jonny, Larry Bunner, as
well as Jim Yocom, Ollie Gregory, and Campbell Bowen on ATOSes. I was a few
hundred feet below them at the start but went soon after they did. I just let
them get a little in front of me so I could see how they went. Dustin, Zippy and
Jeff O'Brien would take the next clock which was the last clock. Jeff started at
800' at the flight park when the bell rang for the start at the 5 KM start
circle radius.



We were at the first turnpoint on highway 29 fourteen kilometers away in
eighteen minutes, so with a tail wind we were moving pretty fast considering
that we had to thermal in that time period also. I had left the start circle at
3,400' but climbed to 4,200' before the first turnpoint. The guys in front were
within reach.



The next thirty kilometers took thirty minutes including three climbs over
4,000' one to 4,700' as we crossed some areas that would have made for difficult
retrieves, I was hoping that the Sport Class guys who would be coming along
later would do alright. We saw a paraglider land below us. I was just behind the
leading pilots.



After a ten kilometer glide I was down to 2,300'out over a cultivate field that
was a long ways away from any paved road. Yocom and Campbell had gone ahead as
had Shapiro, Jonny and a few others. They were getting lower and lower and I was
looking for lift. I found it over the cultivated field that they had all gone
through without stopping.



It only averaged 250 fpm, but I could see the pilots in the lead in front of me
getting lower and smaller as I climbed up. There was no reason to hurry to them.
Larry Bunner came and joined me then went ahead to the lead pilots just as it
turned on to 400 fpm. I could see half a dozen vultures far below me climbing up
so I had a pretty good idea that this was the place to be as I watched all the
pilots ahead spread out and struggled. Ollie came over and joined me in the
thermal.



Topping out at 4,700' I moved forward to get over Jonny, Shapiro, etc. Shapiro
had climbed up so I teamed up with him and he and I in the lead of the flex wing
pilots took off after Ollie and Campbell in the lead with their ATOSes. We lead
(following the ATOSes) for the next 34 kilometers hitting a couple of thermals
but mostly on glide.



For the last twelve kilometers Jonny came and joined us after we climbed up to
4,600' coming in just over our heads. We went on glide with him. I had been
gliding and climbing with Shaprio, not losing anything to him in either mode.
Now I glided with Jonny for twelve kilometers, again, not losing anything to
him.



Olli, who we were actually beating on glide, found the next thermal when we all
decided to head west a bit to get under the clouds that we had flown next to for
most of the last 34 kilometers. The lift for me was only 250 fpm as it was
broken and I had a more difficult time getting in it. Derrick Turner was right
below me, and Jonny and Shapiro climbed better above me. They headed out for the
turnpoint five kilometers to the north before I could get up to them. I was
still able to get to 4,500' but it didn't seem nearly as great as when Shapiro
and I were leading the flexies (following the rigids). I was below Jonny and
Shapiro now.



The next leg was thirty kilometers to the northeast and the wind had not turned
south but was southeast as it had been all day. It had been right down out
course line and now we were confronted with a difficult leg as the final leg, as
it is supposed to be.



I had problem right away finding reasonable lift. I had been finding good lift
the whole flight and now there wasn't any to be found, for me anyway. Shapiro
and Jonny were finding it, but when I went to where they were there was no lift
down below them for me.



A third of the way into the leg I finally found 300 fpm that got me to almost
4,000'. Jim Yocom was around and so was Larry Bunner. Dustin had caught up with
Shapiro taking a route east of the course line.



A thermal almost two thirds of the way down the course line only got me back to
2,000' and it was drifting us downwind of the course line. Larry says that there
were five pilots high over our heads, but that must have been Jonny, Dustin,
Shapiro, etc., as if they were high, they could have easily gone to goal at that
point.



Giving up on this weak thermal, I pushed to go over a large burning area, but
there was no lift as the strong winds pushed the heat back away from the course
line. I pushed ahead toward goal and toward some landable fields and maybe a
chance for lift under a few scraggly clouds. Down to 800' I found bits and
pieces of 200 fpm in lift that averaged 47 fpm. There were birds nearby that
helped me see the lift a bit, but the thermal was telling me where it was and
where it was drifting by sucking me toward it. I listened to that more than to
the birds.



I was drifting out over a large field, maybe three to five miles on a side. I
didn't want to go down and have to carry my equipment out, so that was extra
incentive to stay in the thermal as well as to keep an eye on the roads if I
fell out of it.



At 1,600' I got into lift that averaged 250 fpm. That was a lot more like it. I
knew I was getting out of this hole now. I had drifted seven kilometers downwind
of the course line. Larry and Ricker Goldsborough came over a joined me in the
thermal when they saw that I had hooked a good one.



At 3,600' and 11 kilometers from goal I went on glider in a crossing wind. The
6030 said I had it no problem. Larry joined me and we raced to goal.



About ten pilots made goal. Dustin won that day with the later start time.
Shapiro may have come in second. At the moment it looks as though Jonny may have
won the meet. We'll know when Jamie has enough to eat and can do the down loads
and get them to me.

http://OzReport.com/1272078344