32.881678,-111.854982,Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona,
USA

Monday, September 19th, the
second day of the Santa
Cruz Flats Race started off slow with weak lift and pilots just holding on
in lift less than 50 fpm right after they were let off tow. The lift was weak
for a good long time but after a while it slowly began to improve. After more
than an hour in the air we found almost 200 fpm a little after 1:30 PM that got
us to 8,000', plenty high.

A good bunch of us were southeast just outside the five kilometer start cylinder
and we went back in to take the 1:45 start time. This time it was five
kilometers to the first strong thermal of the day at 400 fpm to  over
9,000'. It looked like the day had turned on finally and that we had a clear
short paralleling Interstate 10 over dry areas (as the task committee had
planned) with plenty of lift.

We went right over the Casa Grande mountains and it looked good ahead but it was
a seventeen kilometer glide to the next thermal and I was down to 3,000'. Again
I had left Dustin way behind and got out in front of the other pilots. Jeff
O'Brien was just a few kilometers behind.

I found good lift averaging 400 fpm and told Jeff and Dustin where I was and
what the lift was. Jeff was three kilometers north of me and kept going until he
was six kilometers ahead and working light (119 fpm) lift. I talked to him on
the radio but U could quite understand his location. I heard something .4 twice,
and didn't get that it was 4.4 kilometers to the next turnpoint. He was 2,500'
lower than me.

I headed out at 7,200' but passed by Jeff two kilometers to his south without
seeing him. I should have called again to get a read on his position. Again I
was out alone with Dustin ten kilometers behind and no help on the radio. I took
the turnpoint with 3,500' AGL but with no sign of lift after a ten kilometer
glide.

Another four kilometers of gliding and down to 2,000' AGL I saw two gliders who
started earlier circling over a big dry area two kilometers to my south east. I
headed directly for them and went under them. I found nothing but big sink
apparently missing the lift by 250 meters (further south).

Jeff came along three minutes later and found the 75 fpm lift just south of
where I landed. More pilots came along and worked weak lift in the area where I
had landed. It was just a hard slog in this region.

With just enough altitude Jeff was able to get over to the Newman Mountains and
find 400 fpm getting to over 8,700'. After that is was easy to make it back to
Francisco Grande with the help of a few 200 to 400 fpm thermals that Jeff stayed
in only momentarily.

I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Getting out in front, flying fast into weak
conditions, not hooking up early enough with other pilots. Perhaps I should be a
little more patient. There was really only one weak section and I could have
called Jeff again and hooked up with him. I gambled and lost.