http://www.midwesthgcomp.org/

http://soaringspot.com/mhgc2011

The flight
here.

The forecast was for light winds. There were plenty of cirrus clouds, but after
the fog lifted there were also cu's. It looked like cloud base would be between
2,300' AGL and 3,800' AGL (It's 700' here). The lift would be between 300 and
500 fpm.

The task committee called an eighty eight kilometer triangular task to the east
and west just south of Enjoy field. Launching would begin at 12:30 and the task
would begin at 1:30. Pilots were reluctant to launch at first but I noticed that
Carl, Jonny, Larry and Dustin were suiting up twenty minutes after the launch
window opened. I got my harness on and got in line behind Larry. I was the third
flex wing to launch.

I pinned off at 1,800' AGL and found weak lift. Paris was pulled up next to me
and a bit later Jamie. I was able to run back toward the launch field and find
better lift getting up over Paris and Jamie and climbing well. I ran to Dustin
and climbed out just below him to 2,500' AGL. I didn't see Paris of Jamie again.

Dustin headed east toward the edge of entry start cylinder. I followed from a
few hundred feet below. There was 200+ fpm near the edge with Dustin, Jonny, Jim
Yocom (in an ATOS) and I climbed up below them to 3,300'AGL. We all took off at
1:30, the first clock.

The ground was mostly shaded to the east. We could see the thick cumulus clouds
had filled in. We were racing. Jonny was out in front with Dustin a little
behind. I found 300+ fpm and Larry came and joined me. We climbed out to 3,300'
AGL at cloud base. It was easy to catch Dustin and then Jonny who was soon
circling below us.

As we approached the turnpoint Dustin headed out in front and got lower and
lower as Larry and I held back a bit. We climbed to 3,200' AGL before going on
glide after Dustin with Jonny behind us. It was a three kilometer glide to the
turnpoint over the dark ground and then back three kilometers to a circling
pilot.

The lift was less then 100 fpm under the circling pilot. Jonny came in higher
with Dustin on the deck. I was at 1000' AGL when I started climbing over Dustin.
It took fifteen minutes to dig ourselves out of this hole and get started going
to the turnpoint forty kilometers to the west.

Jonny had come in a little higher and headed west while we were still too
nervous to dive into the gloom to the west. He found reasonable lift a few
kilometers west and Dustin and I headed that way with Larry low also heading
toward Jonny. We didn't find what Jonny found and had to go searching. We were
gliding into a five mph headwind.

Heading south Dustin and I found 200 fpm to 3,600'AGL, cloud base, which
obviously was rising. Pushing forward we had to work 100 fpm, but left it at
2,500' AGL as a pilot landed below us. Dustin headed west northwest toward the
sun/blue sky/lack of cu's and I headed west toward the cloud street to the south
of the course line.

I found 266 fpm to 4,000' AGL and the clouds looked great ahead. They would keep
me a bit off course but they looked a lot better than what I saw where Dustin
went. Jochen went out into the blue and landed.

The street was very good to me even though I was all alone. I found 300 to 500+
fpm and climbed to 4,200'. I ignored lift that wasn't showing at least 400 fpm.
I would stop in 200 fpm but very quickly found the cores at 400+ fpm.

I headed for the western most turnpoint and saw Dustin, Larry, Jonny and Jim
Yocom circling just before it. Dustin was just below me. I came in under them
and then finding weak lift took the turnpoint at 2,200' AGL and headed to the
next cloud going back toward goal twenty kilometers away. The other four pilots
were a few hundred feet over me and headed to the cloud further east.

I worked 200+ fpm to 2,600' AGL a couple of times. The sink was minimal and I
was getting thirty seven to one with a cross wind. I wasn't able to get high and
kept leaving lift to find better lift, I hoped.

Six kilometers from goal I was just behind Jonny, Larry, Dustin and Jim. I was
climbing at 200 fpm to 1,600' AGL. I lost the lift and made the mistake of going
on rather than searching around under the big cloud. The L/D was down to 9.3 to
1 and I landed three kilometers short. Numerous pilots who started later came in
over my head.

Jonny was first into goal and Dustin second, Larry third. Jim on his ATOS was
the first rigid in and came in after Jonny. Carl started at the last clock and
says that he almost caught up with us.