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Article in the Moultrie paper
here.

Looking ahead to possible routes through Georgia and around Atlanta airspace
(either east or west), the task committee called the task that the meet director
and meet organizer wanted, 119 kilometers to Americus, Georgia,
Souther
Field. With a forecast for light west winds and cu's (on NAM but not on RUC)
it looked like a very short task even though it was longer than yesterday,
distance wise, when we had to go into a head wind.

The winds for launch (grass strip in between the runway and the taxi way) were
ninety cross but not too strong. The grass field at the Moultrie airport was
quite bumpy, not like the flight parks, so pilots were advised to hold on tight
to the cart handles. Most pilots got away without incident, but some weak link
breaks caused a few to launch again.

The cu's filled the sky long before we launched putting the RUC forecast to
shame. There was very little movement in the cu's and it looked like a very
inviting sky.

I pinned off early in some light lift. It proved to be too light and I was down
to 1,000' before I found the lift. This lift turned out to be quite good and
when it turned into 400 fpm the thermal also proved to be quite popular
attracting Shapiro, Paris, Zippy, Dustin and others. Other pilots were already
at cloud base, 6000', having pinned off higher.

I had launched in the middle of the pack and the climbs slowed down and we had
to go searching for lift. Paris was low, Zippy just above him and I was on top.
We worked weak lift at the edge of the five kilometer start cylinder to the
north along the course line. The higher we got, the weaker the lift and above
5,000' it was less than 100 fpm to cloud base.

The high pilots left at the first start clock (Jonny took the first clock but
not at cloud base) and the rest of us stayed with the weak stuff hoping to get
high enough to make the second clock at cloud base. We almost got there (we left
at 6,000') when Dustin, Zippy, Shapiro and I headed out with other pilots all
around. Paris was still low, but he took the second clock. The air was so moist
that it was hard to define cloud base as it just merged with the air. I always
stopped before what was probably cloud base as it got too murky to be sure I
would not get lost in a cloud.

We were all together at the first thermal six kilometers out, but it was
relatively weak at 260 fpm. Stronger than our 100 fpm climbs in the start
cylinder but not worthy of what we saw in the sky. We left at 5,000' and headed
for the next cu. Dustin and two other pilots were much higher than Zippy and
Shapiro and I.

This second thermal another five kilometers out was only 240 fpm so we continued
on after climbing to 5,100'. We found 370 fpm another three kilometers north and
got to 5,700'. The day was looking good and we were hanging together with Dustin
and a few others much higher.

Twenty two kilometers out and twenty five minutes after our start I ran into
trouble and the thermal didn't work for me and apparently not too well for
Shapiro. Dustin, Zippy and others got away. I had to go further north three
kilometers to find 270 fpm just to get up from 3,000' with cloud base three
thousand feet higher. That weak thermal got me to 4,100' before I headed
northwest two kilometers to 300+ fpm to 6,200'. Now the race was truly on for
me, with just a few pilots around for assistance.

I headed for a cloud street and didn't stop for anything under 600 fpm on the
twenty second averager. The thermals averaged 500+ fpm during the time I stayed
in them. I hit five in a row of these good thermals over a thirty seven
kilometer run under a broken cloud street getting to 7,000'. Ground speeds on
glide were 45 to 50 mph with a six mph cross wind, slightly quartering head.

When the street gave out I had to slow down a bit and take weaker lift to get to
the next good clouds. That took twenty five kilometers and I found 400+ average
lift in the thermal under the first good looking cu. I was passing up pilots who
took the earlier clock.

Eighteen kilometers out from goal I took 240 fpm to 6,000' and made it in with
more altitude than I needed. There was lift on the way in which I didn't turn
in.

Jonny flying on his own caught up with the guys who were high at the first start
time about half way down the course line and made it first into goal with them
about seven minutes behind. Paris was blazing fast and caught many of the first
guys. I made it in two hours and thirty four minutes, twenty nine mph.

I spent sixty five percent of the time gliding with an average glide ratio of
seventeen to one. If you are not going forty five to fifty mph between thermals,
you are not competitive.

Almost everyone made it to the goal, so it was a race day. This has been the
best ever Flytec Race and Rally. Three great days of flying, all of them very
different. All of them to a new location. We are well into Georgia and the front
is east of us and we are in an area dominated by high pressure.