38 58 10.92 N,75 52 0.00 W,Highland Aerosports, Ridgely,
Maryland, USA

http://www.aerosports.net/ECC.html

http://soaringspot.com/2010ecc

http://skyout.blogspot.com/

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/para/flightinfo.html?flightId=427596054

http://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/8.6.2010/17:03

The forecast was similar to Monday with a 14 knot northwest wind, but on this
day it was likely that there would not be any cu's. The forecast for Wednesday
is for rain, and then nice for the next three days of the competition.

With a blue sky above us we were not ready to start launching at 12:30 PM. It
was 10 mph gusting to 13 mph at the launch line so pilots wanted to wait a bit
so that they wouldn't be pushed across the edge of the start circle before the
first start time at 1:30 PM. The task committee gave the pilots four start
times, fifteen minutes a part.

Finally Larry Bunner and I who were first and second in the staging line got
ready to go. John Simon got in line right behind us. There was some lift on tow,
but after I got waved off I saw Larry climbing behind me and Belinda radioed
that he was circling over the airfield. I came in under him and found 400 fpm.

Following the thermal downwind we climbed to 5,900' just before the first start
time at 1:30 PM. We were joined underneath by John Simon and three other pilots.
We had a high start at 1:30 PM and went on glide for 10 km with ground speed of
over 50 mph, and an L/D of 23. There were no signs of lift, but we sure were
going fast.

I found the first two thermals that we shared and Larry and I waited up for the
three lower pilots in the second thermal who were using us to sniff out the
thermals ahead of them. The thermals were not particularly strong but given the
lack of cu's we were not interested in looking around for better lift.

I found the third thermal and we were all together and that's where we wanted to
be, five pilots finding lift. John Simon found the fourth thermal as he flew off
to the east of Larry and I a bit. We came in underneath him. I found a 500 fpm
core and we all got together again at about the same altitude.

We spread out as we headed for the first turnpoint 57 km from the start. We got
down to 3,000', the lowest we'd been so far and John and I found the next
thermal at the same time as we were right next to each other, next to the
turnpoint. This was a nice thermal at 360 fpm and everyone joined us again as we
drifted through the turnpoint climbing.

Larry was just above me, and John just below with another pilot. From 5,400' I
saw Larry head out to the south southwest to go a bit upwind of the course line.
I followed a quarter mile to his left. John was following us but much lower and
off to my right.

We went for 10 km not finding any lift. John was way below me and I lost track of
him. Larry had headed out over a large forested area (they have seemed to
produce lift) and found a little lift but not enough to stay in. I came over to
him but didn't find much. I guess I should have stayed with it because a few
minutes later I was on the ground.

Larry turned one way and I turned another and I lost 500' before I could come in
under his zero sink. Larry stuck with it, after a great while got back up and
made goal. John and Sunny both low and far behind us, found 50 fpm at 1,000' and
worked it until it turned into 900 fpm.

The first turnpoint for the open class was the goal for Sport Class so Sport
Class pilots had an opportunity to fly with Open Class pilots. You can see their
results at the URL above.