32.890543,-111.858673,Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona,
USA

http://soaringspot.com/2010scfr/

http://www.santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com/

http://westcoastbrit.blogspot.com/

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

http://www.willswing.com/blogs/PilotBlogs/tabid/38/Default.aspx

Saturday was the practice day for the 2010 Santa Cruz Flats Race, and despite
plenty of cirrus, it was a nice strong day with light winds and good lift to
over 6,000'. I pinned off at 1,200' AGL in good lift (the elevation here is
about 1,400' ) and climbed out steadily. No cu's, just shading from the cirrus
clouds which didn't seem to affect anything.

Sunday, the first day of the competition, was a different story altogether. The
monsoonal moisture was streaming in from the southwest and there were multiple
streaks of mid level clouds, some with vertical development, shading sometimes
all the ground around us. This continued from sunrise to sunset and
substantially reduced the potential lift.

I was the second pilot to tow up a few minutes after noon and I did not feel a
bump. The tow plane that normally tows us up at 700 fpm was averaging 400 fpm to
3,000' AGL.

I flew all around and didn't feel anything at all until I was down to 1,000' AGL
just south of the launch area (there was a slight north wind) seventeen minutes
after I launched. I was the first pilot to find anything, in fact they had
stopped launching because no one was getting any lift.

I worked the light lift at 110 fpm just to stay in the air. The glider has a bad
right turn in it and I was thinking of heading for the ground to get it taken
care of, but here I was going up so I stayed with it. Other pilots were landing.

I drifted south east in the six mph northwest wind and climbed back to 4,400'
finding a little bit better lift that averaged 175 fpm. It was a weak day and a
low day, it seemed.

The last start time was 1:40 PM, and given the weak conditions and the fact that
we couldn't get high and that we were being pushed away from the edge of the
start cylinder that was nearest the first turnpoint to the southwest it looked
like we would have to work hard just to be able to make the last start time.
Plenty of pilots were on the ground even though we've got five tugs, as the
pilots in front of them get dragged around the air in weak lift or none at all.

I push off to the northwest to try to get in a better position for the task
given the winds, and find nothing at all and have the crawl back to the launch
area and slowly climb back up again. It is a bit discouraging, but the air is
certainly pleasant enough.

Finally pilots begin moving toward the southwest edge of the start cylinder.
They spot the lift and I join them. As the last start time approaches at 1:40 PM
we are climbing slowly conveniently right next to the edge and I get back to
4,300', with a few others a couple of hundred feet higher.

I've heard from Joe Bostik on the radio that he is about to land at the first
turnpoint which is seven kilometers to the southwest. This is not good news as
we have just taken the last start time and he took the previous one and we are
all headed for Joe. He doesn't come back on and tell me that in fact he found
lift at the turnpoint at 400' and is climbing out.

All of us are on glide heading for the turnpoint and no one is finding any lift
even though we are all spread out. I come into the 400 meter cylinder around the
turnpoint down to 500' and there is the thermal, incredibly well placed. It's
175 fpm back to over 4,000'. How do things work out this way?

A few of the pilots who started a little higher than me are turning a kilometer
down the course line as a bunch of us climb up. I'm flying with Zippy and Glen
Volk. Shaprio and Dustin have come in also a little below me. There are about
five pilots ahead of us.

The ground is almost completely shaded for the next twenty five kilometers down
the course line to the east. We've got a forty three kilometer leg to do with
only the last part out in the sun.

We limp along climbing in thermals often at rates well less than 100 fpm. It is
dark every where below us. Whenever any one finds something four or five of us
are on it quickly. I keep an eye on Dustin and Shapiro who will be just below me
for the next twenty five kilometers. It's great to have them around to help out.

Joe Bostik goes down out in front with the lead gaggle heading off on his own
while the rest of the gaggle waits patiently.

We find a nice thermal at 163 fpm and climb back to 4,000' then head on a five
kilometer glide east toward the hills just south of the intersection of
interstate 8 and 10 southeast of Casa Grande. Dustin and Jeff are just in front
and below me but they don't find it. Another pilot to their left starts turning
and I join him. Jeff and Dustin come back and we work 75 fpm as we drift toward
the foothills. This is where Jeff and Dustin get above me and now I'm in trouble
without my faithful companions.

We spread out and work weak lift just west of the hills. I can keep Dustin and
Jeff in sight. I am averaging 37 mph in a seven mph wind and we are high enough
to be able to get up on the hills if we think that they would be producing
anything at all.

There is strong sunlight on the ground just on the other side of the hills and
it is awfully tempting tophead for it but Jeff and Dustin are playing around in
this almost zero lift under the mid level clouds and over the shaded area.
Finding myself mostly in sink I decided to head over the hills to see if there
is any lift and go for the sunny areas if I don't find any there.

Jeff and Dustin decide to stay where they are and they'll find themselves going
up and down until they finally find some better lift and gain 800'. They watch
what I and another pilot do as we don't find lift over the hills. I land after
gliding five kilometers, just north of the freeway and west of the fourth
turnpoint.

Jeff and Dustin take a course to the south of my line, which is already five
kilometers south of the course line and find lift. Approaching the turnpoint at
La Palma Jeff will dive in for it low with shaded ground and end up landing near
it with other pilots, Glen Volk and Greg Dinnaur. Dustin will not dive into the
turnpoint as he knows from previous experience there that it doesn't work and he
heads off to find good lift and finds some that gets him to 5,600'. The lead
gaggle sees him behind them way high as they struggle.

Bostik and I are watching five pilots low struggling against the head wind to
get the next turnpoint as we pack up my glider. It doesn't look like they have
any chance of making it back to the Francisco Grande. There is a good six or
more mph wind coming from the goal.

Jonny Durand is able to make it in and he is the only flex wing pilot to do so.
Larry Bunner has to stop just before the power lines and is just a few meters
short. Robin Hamilton is also very close. You can see the results and download
the track logs at the URL above.