http://soaringspot.com/2011bsn

The NAM and the RUC were in conflict about the strength of the wind forecasted
for the afternoon. NAM said that the average wind at 2 PM would be 14-16 knots
from the southeast. The RUC was calling for 6 to 10 knots. The task committee
called a 145 kilometer triangle as the primary task based on the RUC forecast
and what we were experiencing in real life at the airport and a task to the
northwest if the winds were as the NAM forecasted.

Gary Osoba went up in his Woodstock and reported eight knot winds out of the
southeast. It continued to be light on the ground.

The cu's started forming to our east around noon and they were soon over the
airport and spreading to the northwest toward our first turnpoint at Patricia,
60 kilometers away. I launched about sixth and found weak lift. In fact I found
weak lift the whole time I was in the start circle and it was hard to get up to
cloud base, for me at least.

The start cylinder was only five kilometers in radius reflecting the RUC
forecast for light winds. The idea was to clump up the pilots so that they could
fly together. But this also made it hard to get up in weak lift because you were
soon drifting out of the start cylinder given the actual fifteen mph winds.

Given the weak lift I could not get to cloud base in time for the second clock,
but even though my competitors were at cloud base, 2000' over my head, I headed
out then with them. I was immediately on my own, although apparently Alex Cuddy
went with me, above me. I never saw him.

There were cu's all over the place, but of course I had just experienced forty
minutes of weak lift under the cu's so it wasn't clear to me that the cu's would
actually be working. I headed down the course line and felt the mixed up air
that indicated broken lift was around.

I found 300 to 400 fpm in most of the thermals and the cu's were working.
Fortunately the course line was directly down wind. It was all broken up so it
was hard to center a thermal, but it kept me up and on the task.

Twenty kilometers out from the first turnpoint I knew that I had to get really
high before I hit the turnpoint so that I could turn and race up into the wind
to find lift upwind of the course line.  I could see a thick high cumulus
ten kilometers south of the turnpoint marking a potential source of lift. But I
also saw a dust devil six kilometers south the turnpoint and figured that dust
devils were more reliable indicators of lift than the cu's.

I could see a pilot high above me going under the cu and not finding any lift. I
headed for the dust devil gliding fourteen kilometers. As I approached the dust
devil I went over a field where three dust devils formed as I came over it. I
flew to the area in the middle of all three dust devils and found 700+ fpm. I
climbed to 10,300'. Topping out five kilometers from the turnpoint.

High, I headed for the turnpoint and noticed four gliders belonging to some of
those pilots who had been high above me coming back 4,000' and 5,000' below me.
It sure looked like I could catch them now.

Tagging the turnpoint I raced back to get above one of the four gliders and
climbed back to 9,400'. Ahead there is a cloud street right along the course
line and it is at least twenty kilometers long. I pull out of the 300 fpm
thermal and go to the cloud street where I find half a dozen pilots that started
above me and they are turning in 600 fpm to cloud base, 10,000'. I join them in
the fun.

I chase five of them including Glen Volk down the cloud street slowly gaining on
them. Coming out at the end of the cloud street with more cu's ahead I'm caught
up but just below the lead guys, including Glen, who is in second place just
behind me in the overall scoring. I can't find Zippy who is in third overall.

We race to the turnpoint staying together, about four of us in the lead. I
slowly climb on Glen as we work a number of thermals together. As we get near
the turnpoint I see Zippy just over me. I wonder where he came from.

We have been fighting a head wind since we made the turnpoint, but instead of
fifteen mph, it is eight mph. It is a quartering head wind from the southeast
and this second turnpoint was east of the first one, fifty kilometers.

We take the turn point and Zippy, Glen and I go out front heading toward goal
thirty six kilometers to the south, still into a head wind. Zippy is a bit
higher and takes the lead. Glen and  I follow and stop with him in the lift
that he finds.

Twenty five kilometers from goal we all spread out. We are all at the same
altitude and have different ideas about where to go next. Zippy has been shading
to the left of the course line upwind ever since we made the turnpoint. Glen
heads out along the course line toward clouds that he feels look better. I split
the difference.

Glen finds some lift first and I go over to join him. I find better lift a
little further on and Glen is just over my head. I find 400 fpm, but he searches
around a bit more and finds the real core at 900 fpm. It will take me a few
minutes more and Alex Cuddy to come over for me to see where the good lift is.

Meanwhile Zippy got low but found good lift to our left. Glen goes on final from
cloud base eighteen kilometers out. I climb up quickly and leave below cloud
base with the Flytec 6030 showing that I have the numbers. I glide in as the
required glide ratio stays lower than my glide ratio flying between 45 and 50
mph. As I get close to the airport I increase the speed to 55 mph.

Glen would have been first in but he slowed down a bit so Zippy was in ten
second ahead of him. Alex was third in and I was in four minutes behind Zippy.

A number of pilots made it in today, and they were happy that they didn't have
to setup their gliders, just leave them in the hangar.

The results are up at the link above as we got home early. I'm still leading the
competition.

Our hangar.

Killer Bee ready to launch on Wednesday. Photos by Gary Osoba.