http://www.midwesthgcomp.org/

http://soaringspot.com/mhgc2011

Carl Wallbank won the day and the meet by hanging on in light lift just as
though he was in England. Larry Bunner was second less than eight points behind
and Paris Williams third. Basically their finish on the second day.

The day's (Friday) forecast was for good lift, but we knew that there was a
front to the west coming in on Saturday. The local forecast was for an 80%
chance of precipitation on Saturday so the last day was canceled in advance.

The winds were forecasted to be southeast at six to ten knots. The task
committee decided on a 129 kilometer triangular task to the south and then back
to the north, a fat out and return with two big cross wind legs.

Jochen was off first, then Mark Bolt, and I was behind him. We had three tugs
working so things were going quickly. My climb on tow was very slow, sometimes
zero fpm. When we got in lift that was 800 fpm on tow I decided that was enough
to keep me up without the tug.

Paris was towed up after me and was climbing a bit better to the north, but I
parleyed the weak stuff into 300 fpm and as there was plenty of time before the
start clock, I stuck with it as it turned to 500 fpm and soon I was at 4,500'
and cloud base. I dressed warmer today so I was happier at base.

I joined up with Jochen as we were on the radio together and we flew to various
clouds always finding lift and staying high. We came to a cu just east of the
twenty kilometer start cylinder around the first turnpoint to the southwest and
joined up with Larry, Mark Bolt, Jim Yocom and a few others. I noticed Dustin
about two thousand feet below us as the first clock was about to open.

I headed out in front with everyone else also heading out for the 1:30 start
time, the first start time. No Jonny or Carl or Paris around. The sky to the
west was mostly blue, not a good sign.

We went on a long glide under some haze domes. Not finding anything I made a
ninety degree turn to the south to the closest clouds. Jochen kept going and got
low. Larry, Mark and Jim joined me and we climbed up at 600 fpm.

After climbing up to cloud base over 4,500' we flew over Jochen and didn't find
anything and so headed south southwest toward the turnpoint but more toward the
next cu's. The cu's were very widely spaced and off the course line so you just
had to fly to them if you wanted to stay up.

I found strong broken lift three kilometers from the turnpoint and Larry joined
me. Jochen was getting up to our north. Larry and I climbed up and then I headed
out first for the turnpoint. Jim was around high.

After making the turnpoint we headed due south, for the next leg was forty three
kilometers to a small airfield. We had a quartering head wind of about eight to
ten mph. Less wind up high.

I missed the next lift and searching all over the place had to take weak lift
from 700' AGL, twice in almost the same spot, as the wind was driving me back.
Jochen and the others, including Kris, were higher and found better lift and
pushed forward, so soon I was on my own.

It took way too long to dig myself out of the hole that I had put myself in. I
dove forward for a cu and climbed out strongly, then pushed forward again coming
over a small town. Pilots who had started after me had landed there. I spotted
Dustin downwind and joined him in lift that got better and better as we climbed
out.

Up high I decided to push south and east again toward the turnpoint twenty seven
kilometers away. Dustin went to the good looking cloud downwind even further off
the course line and climbed to 6,200' AGL. I worked another thermal with Ben
Dunn, who was free flying, south of town and then proceeded further south
heading for the next clouds.

The clouds from the front where shading the west side of the course line. The
southeast winds had already forced me to the west of the course line and I was
trying to get away from the shade.

I went under four cu's but unlike previously on the course I didn't find any
lift under them. The winds were very light on the ground as I landed.

Dustin was not able to make the turnpoint to the south and landed with Jonny who
just made the turnpoint and a few kilometers to the north. Jochen made it
exactly to the turnpoint. He saw Carl, Larry, Jonny and Paris make the turnpoint
and then go downwind. Jonny didn't get that far.

Carl found 200 fpm just past the turnpoint, but nothing over 100 fpm after that.
The sky was getting grayer from the clouds coming from the west and the ground
was getting darker from their shade. Carl worked seven thermals before going
down a little over twenty kilometers from goal.

We only had two days of flying out of a five day competition. The weather gods
weren't as beneficent here as they were in Georgia. Still we had a great time
and loved the flying. Big, really big open flat plains. The crops haven't been
planted for the most part as it has been too wet (and really dry in Texas).

The flight park is well stocked and we had lots of tow planes. The grass is
thick (unlike in Florida). Everything was wet. The farmers were very hospitable.