The Blogs and Tweets:

http://westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/



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



http://naughtylawyertravels.blogspot.com/



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



http://rich-lovelace.blogspot.com/



http://skyout.blogspot.com/



http://gottafly.blogspot.com/




Scores on-line:
http://soaringspot.com/2010frr/



In the morning it didn't look good in the forecasts nor in the sky. The lift was
predicted to be between 300 and 500 fpm, with a strong inversion at 3,200'.
Thankfully the wind would be light on the ground and a bit stronger at the
inversion at 9 knots, with stronger northwest winds above the start of the
inversion.



I was hauled up after a few pilots were in the air and found 150 fpm to 3,400',
which I thought was pretty good considering the milky white sky and the brisk
wind out of the west northwest at 10 mph, half of the previous two days,
thankfully. The next two thermals were less than 100 fpm, but then I was able to
find 180 fpm as I battled against the west wind to stay close to the launch and
close to the other pilots who would be launching after me. This was definitely a
day to stay close to your buddies.



An hour into the flight and about ten minutes before last the start time at 2
PM, I find 370 fpm that will eventually get me over 4,000'. Most of the pilots
have gaggled up southwest of Quest Air and are waiting for the last start time.




As the last start time approached a number of us head southwest to try to drive
upwind a bit on the west side of highway 33. The goal is to the south 109
kilometers to Avon Park. We find 200 fpm that gets us back to 3,100' and gives
us a pretty good view of those struggling downwind of us. It is obviously a
difficult day with the mostly west wind.



We find a thermal with lots of help from our friends about every three
kilometers. We need the thermals to be closely spaced as we aren't going to get
very high and we aren't being helped by the winds. I find a thermal upwind of a
gaggle and bring them altogether as they see a higher climb rate, 260 fpm.



With so many pilots around the thermal is quite unpleasant to fly in. The other
pilots are disturbing the air and making it difficult to turn in tight circles.
I leave one thermal a bit early just to get away from the other pilots.



South of 474 I come in over Zippy but find only 20 fpm. I keep searching around
but there is no core and I'm drifting at almost the bottom of a gaggle heading
over the Branson lands which make for difficult retrieve. I head upwind for one
of the dry fields, as the dry fields worked for me in the last thermal. These
don't and I land at highway 33 with Derreck Turner coming in behind me.



Daniel Velez is down five kilometers back having taken the first start time on
his own and not finding anything useful. Jim Yocom in his ATOS is down just one
field back up toward Quest. The Jeff's just arrived at Oz Report World
Headquarters. Shapiro landed parallel to Wallaby and O'Brien at Fantasy of
Flight. Jonny, Zippy, Carl, Lovelace, Dustin, and a few others were forty
kilometers out from goal.



Four flexies and two rigids at goal. Carl first, then Zippy, Dustin and Jonny.
Miller Stroud and Ollie are the ATOS pilots at goal. Results later tonight.

http://OzReport.com/1272499925