Fifteen million unemployed Americans. We found a driver within an hour after Ben
Dunn put up an ad in the laundromat in Luling. Joe and I had sent Ben to check up on
our laundry after he had to go back to retrieve his computer bag at the Coffee
Shop. The driver hadn't had a job in two years since being fired from Walmart.
The forecast was again for very light winds, maybe four mph out of the northeast
at 4,000'. The lift forecast was 500 to 600 fpm, to 6,000' to 7,000' (cloud
base) . The elevation here is 500'.
We hadn't had anyone make goal yet in the meet, so we came up with three out and
return tasks under 30 miles and one 36 mile out task. We left the final task
decision to the last minute based on the clouds. Our first choice was to go out
to the northeast 12.5 miles and then come back to the airport. I wanted a lot
longer task, but others wanted to get folks into goal.
It was blue in the morning but cu's with high bases started forming around noon.
It already looked good. The cu's were thicker to the northeast so we stuck with
that task, but watched the cu's to make sure that they didn't over develop.
It was hot, over ninety in the field, with not that much shade near the launch
area. We moved the launch area to the south west to give us a very slight head
wind on launching. The humidity was high so we were sweating in our flying
clothes.
There was not a big push to get launched. I was the first one to get in line and
launched at 2:25, well after the 2 PM launch window open. Chris Zimmerman was
right behind me. Steve Burns towed me up in the slow climbing tug and Rodger
from Lookout towed up Chris. I was thinking that I might not have a chance to
catch up with Chris as Rodger's tug goes up twice as fast, but both tugs were in
good lift over a field to the north of the airfield and I pinned off just below
Chris (not wanting to be disrespectful and pin off over him).
I quickly climbed through Chris as we climbed up to 5,100'. There were nice cu's
all around and we were under a good one. The lift petered out and Chris headed
east toward the highway that we would follow to the turnpoint and toward a nice
looking cu. I was maybe 300' over him and followed him as Chris was in second
place and I needed to cover him. It was easy to do from my vantage point.
We had been in 300 fpm north of the airfield, but the lift was weaker at 200 fpm
under this cu but I climbed to 5,500' with Chris below me. I was on the radio to
Ben Dunn and Joe Evens and they were high under our previous cu and heading
toward us and toward the edge of the start circle to our northeast.
I headed northeast and lost altitude as Ben, Joe and Dan Bereczki glided
together to my north. As we approached the edge of the start circle Ben was at
4,700' and I was at 4,300'. Chris was lower. Ben and Joe climbed out, Ben to
5,200', but I was right below them and didn't find the lift and was stuck at
4,000'. Joe and Ben headed out toward the turnpoint.
Chris didn't find the lift either and turned around and headed back to the cu
that we had been under previously, getting lower and lower. I could see Dan just
to my north not much higher than me but then I saw him take a couple of turns so
I headed in his direction. He then straightened out and flew to the northeast
but fortunately I found lift before I got to where he had been. I found 73 fpm
inside the start circle and hung in it. I took it to 5,200' and started the task
twelve minutes behind Ben and Joe.
Since I was on the radio with Ben I knew what lift that he was finding ahead of
me. I glided two miles to where Dan was turning and found almost 400 fpm, my
first thermal since the clock started. After climbing to 6,000' I knew that Ben
had found a good one three miles ahead so I glided to there and took 350 fpm to
6,700'. Joe was turning when I got there and I found the good core and brought
him over to it. We climbed out together. We were half way to the turnpoint.
It was four miles to the turnpoint. I had heard from Ben that he was circling up
under a cloud but at first I thought that he had already made the turnpoint. But
he had veered way to the left on the way to the turnpoint to get under a thick
cloud and was not getting all that good of lift at 240 fpm. I stayed on the
course line and took a few turns under that cloud but then kept going to the
turnpoint where it looked like there would be lift under a wispy cu. Ben got the
turnpoint just a little earlier and higher than I did.
It was 250 fpm at the turnpoint and Joe came and joined me as we climbed back to
5,400'. As I headed back down the course line I heard from Ben that he had 600
fpm. I came in under him but found zero sink instead. He was now 900' over my
head at 4,800' and heading south as the lift had stopped for him also.
Up ahead was the intersection where we had all climbed to 6,700' on the way out.
Kent and Chris was just southwest of it turning on their way out. I stopped just
before them at 200 fpm which was the weakest lift since the start clock started
for me, but I needed to get a little altitude as I was down to 3,000'. Ben kept
going toward the goal.
I climbed to 4,500' as Joe stopped in lift behind me and then came over to Kent
and Chris. Ben reported good lift two miles further down the course line and I
could see him and another pilot climbing. I headed off to find their lift.
I found 400 fpm under Ben and we were both happy to be going up this fast. I
climbed to 5,600' six miles out from goal. I wasn't all that trusting of my
polar so I wanted to make sure that I made it in. Ben was even more conservative
climbing to well past six to one climbing to 7,000'. I headed off sure that I
could make it a minute and a half before he did.
Of course, we both had plenty of altitude and I was soon stuffing the bar and
really enjoying the rock steady glider going over 40 mph. Joe Evens really
stuffed it later and got it up to 50 mph. The nice thing is that the Northwing
Freedom 170 did not fall out of the air at these speeds. I was getting five to
one at 38 mph airspeed. He would get 5.3 to 1 at 45 mph.
I came into goal at 800' AGL with Ben fourteen second behind me. It was easy for
both of us to circle back up again and float around for a while while we waited
for Joe and then Chris.
The flying here in central (southeast?) Texas are superb. I must admit that Texas
has by far the best flying weather of any where I have flown. The conditions
have been a bit weak here in the Spring, but plenty good enough for a great
competition. Of course, the air is extremely pleasant to fly in. We are flying
without gloves (not just me) and in light clothes. The air is not turbulent and
there are cu's every day. It is a shame that we don't have more competitions in
Texas. I love flying here and I'm sure that many other pilots would love it
also.
