I somehow didn't publish this story (Thursday, September 22, 2011):

http://www.livetrack24.com/

http://www.livetrack24.com/live_show_track.php?user=davisstraub&2d=0

http://santacruzflatsrace.blogspot.com/

Jochen's blog

OB/Wills Wing blog

Ben's blog

We had a super task today in fantastic conditions. Almost everyone had a great
time and we got back to the Francisco Grande in plenty of time.

The forecast was similar to the previous days with light winds and 800 to 900
fpm forecasted lift and a very high top of the lift. But as has been the case
for the last few days the dry adiabatic line and the temperature profile were
very closely aligned so it was hard to get a real fix on the height of the lift.
It seemed to me that it could be 8,000' or 12,000'. A degree of temperature
difference would make all the difference.

There was a forecast for cu's, but I seriously doubted that. There were already
cu's over the mountains far away but I just couldn't believe that there would be
cu's at 15,000' over the Santa Cruz Flats. It turned out that there were
cu-nimbs over the mountains far away and cu's maybe ten kilometers east of our
most eastern point, but no cu's over our course line.

It's always great to have the light winds forecast as we can call a task back to
the hotel and then we don't have to break down the gliders.

The task had a thirty six kilometer entry circle centered around the Coolidge air field
off to the east. This sent us north of the Francisco Grand to get on a course
that would take us pretty much due east and over the dry areas north of town.
Also over some hills to the east. We just had to stay away from the airspace
further north which proved quite easy.

The lift was a little light for the rigid wing pilots but I got off at a good
time, around 12:30, for the first start time at 1:15. We climbed out north of
the hotel and then headed further north to our preferred start area west of the
Casa Grande airstrip and found good lift as we waited for the second clock at
1:30. Robin and Kraig took the first one.

After we went inside the entry start circle about four kilometers we hit 600 fpm
to 10,000' just south of the Casa Grande airfield. We climbed up and then Joe
Bostik went back to take the third start time. We knew that he had gone back but
we decided to keep going anyway. It was already 1:45 pm.

It was a long glide (twenty two kilometers) and at first I was shivering from
not having enough clothes on. I was happy to get lower, but it kept going and
going until I was too hot again, down to 1,800' AGL. I was out in front and just
south of the town of Coolidge and found zero sink so I stuck with it looking for
a little positive lift. This was better than going down.

Everyone else joined me and we searched around for slightly better. This was all
Joe needed to catch us and have fifteen minutes on us.

We found better and better lift, but nothing strong, until we were able to head
out and get the turnpoint at the airstrip ten kilometers further east. Then we
headed south toward the range to the southeast. We weren't particularly high and
about twenty pilots were around spread out looking for the next source of lift.
Dustin, Larry, and I shaded east to try to get to the higher ground and the rock
outcroppings that marked the beginning of the hills. Other pilots were out on
the flats.

I worked the hills while everyone else went out into the flats after the first
pilots caught lift there. I was able to find 300 fpm over small rock hills. I
was behind and lower than all the rest of the pilots in our little grouping.

I pushed further into the hills and worked hot rock faces not finding strong
lift but getting 300 fpm in spots. I came in under the peak and climbed up at
200 to 300 fpm to over the towers at 6,000' as Larry headed out for the
turnpoint at 7,400'. Dustin and O'Brien came back from the turnpoint three
kilometers to the south under me, but six kilometers ahead. Larry headed out to
the next turnpoint as we climbed.

I went and grabbed the turnpoint and came back under pilots circling the peak
and the towers way below O'Brien and Dustin but with other pilots while Larry
was struggling out toward the next turnpoint at the intersection of highway 87
and Interstate 10. The pilots nearby showed me the 600 fpm and I climbed to
8,500' as Jeff and Dustin headed out at 10,000'.

I could hear Larry and Dustin and Jeff ahead of me near the turnpoint ten
kilometers away searching for light lift and circling in weak lift. I had a good
glide to them and came in over Larry a few kilometers after the turnpoint as we
headed for Jeff and Dustin circling a couple of kilometers further just south on
the freeway.

The lift was weak but there were twenty pilots to share it with. The weak lift
attracted so many as there was no lift otherwise. We were not high and we needed
a few thousand feet to feel comfortable as we were thirty two kilometers out
from goal.

Glen Volk took the next two pulls as we proceeded northwest up the freeway
whenever the lift got really weak. There were plenty of pilots to get in the
way, but we were happy to have the extra thermal sniffers. Finally after a few
small jumps we found 300 fpm and climbed to 7,500'. I figured that the idea was
that we were climbing high enough to be able to make it to the Casa Grande
Mountain nineteen kilometers from the goal and get up there. That was indeed the
story. Larry hadn't stayed up with us and was two thousand feet below.

We went on a long glide over Arizona City and just as we got to the south edge
of the mountains still on the flats, the five pilots in front of me found the
strong lift, 600 fpm. I came in under a few of them and it felt great and it was
not broken and it was smooth.

I moved slightly south and found 700 fpm and suddenly I was getting higher than
other pilots and was getting nice and high for a final glide from nineteen
kilometers out to goal. I saw two pilots take off in front of me for goal and
immediately left the strong lift and chased after them at almost fifty miles per
hour. I had goal at 9.9 to 1 with 2,000' above best glide.

The required L/D to goal kept getting smaller even though I was stuffing the
bar. I couldn't see behind me but was hoping that I got the jump on the rest of
the pilots and was catching up with the second pilot (Bill Soderquist) just
ahead of me.

I was going faster and faster as I was assured of making it. Then way down below
I could see Dustin catching me and Bill then O'Brien. I pulled in for 60 mph
with my arms straight back. I don't recall if I had pulled the VG all the way on
when I left the last thermal or not. Bill and O'Brien were able to beat me in by
a few seconds.

Joe came in early also. We did catch Kraig and Robin. Joe must have won the day.

The Live Tracking stopped early for some reason. The phone recorded the whole
flight. It just didn't transmit well apparently. Maybe AT&T doesn't work so well
to the east.