Jonny Durand writes:

First day of Big Spring comp started with a 100km triangle. I was
leading out early and got low before the first turnpoint 33 kilometers northwest
of Big Spring and most everyone caught me or flew over me. Then rounded the
turnpoint and I was catching back up after hitting a 1,000fpm climb to 12,000ft.

Not long after I left that I had a 737-800 nearly hit me crossing behind me 100m
off my wingtip. It was one of the most scariest things I have ever seen from my
hang glider. I flew almost all the way to the ground shaking before hitting a
low save (600 ft agl) 800m before the last turnpoint south of Stanton. By the
time I hit 12,000ft again I had drifted 10 kms backwards to the north and the
others who were above me managed to get turnpoint and fly back to goal. I was
about 40 minutes behind the winner which was Jeff O'Brien. I'm happy to have
made goal and still be alive with six days to go.

The forecast was for no lift later in the afternoon to our north
and west, which indicated to us that there would most likely be shading in these
areas from over development. The task committee decided on a smaller FAI
triangle, 99.6 km, to the northwest, south and then back to Big Spring. You can
find the task as well as the provisional results 
here. The idea was
to stay away from the OD and get back in time before it got too crazy.

The launch opened at 1 PM, but it seemed to me that the sky wasn't telling us it
was ready for us yet. Usually we have lots of cu's around by 1 PM, and there
were only scattered mid level clouds which were coming off a low pressure
centered to our east. I waited to go but Jeff O'Brien launched early.

It was a struggle for the early guys and I didn't launch until 1:45, fifteen
minutes before the first start window. The last start window was at 2 PM. I
pinned off early at 1,000' AGL in what I thought was stronger lift than it
turned out to be. I struggled for a few minutes, but then found a steady 100
fpm. Soon I found myself with Jeff O'Brien and all the other pilots who had
launched earlier. They hadn't found much, but now the lift was improving and I
was in it as everyone came over to where we were climbing, now at 200 fpm.

The lift kept improving , all of us kept searching out the better bits and we
all kept climbing until at about 2:30 we were over 9,000' and taking the last
start window a little late. The forecast said that we would get to 12,000', at
40 degrees Fahrenheit but later in the day. We were all together and on our way
to the west north west to Lenorah.

It was a sixteen kilometer glide to the next thermal. I had six pilots just
ahead of me that I was keeping an eye on. The group to the north found 400 fpm
and that got us going, seeing that we could indeed find a thermal away from the
airfield. There were a few mid level clouds around and a scattered cu or two, so
we felt that we could find lift.

Ten kilometers to the next 400 fpm thermal and that got us around the turnpoint
and headed into the wind toward some tall cu's that showed plenty of shade under
them.  They seemed to line up right toward our turnpoint south of Stanton.

Nine kilometers south of the turnpoint we hit a massive thermal that averaged
700 fpm. I climbed to 11,500' before pulling out of the strong lift. On the way
to it I had been flying straight in 300 fpm lift watching the wind mils below me
indicate a line of lift right where I was flying.

I was flying without gloves, but it just didn't seem to be a problem even that
high up. There were plenty of cu's ahead.

I watched the Southwest Airlines plane fly just in front of me about a mile
away. It was at my altitude, about 10,500'. I assume that it was going into the
Midland-Odessa airfield. Someone from that airfield called the meet director,
David Glover, and mentioned that we seemed to be getting a little too high.
Actually getting over 10,000' here in Big Spring is a bit rare.

Off to the left back toward Big Spring a cu-nimb had been developing. It looked
to be right on our course line from the second turnpoint back to Big Spring.
There were other spots of over development to the north and just to the west of
the course line to the south to the second turnpoint.

As I got to within ten kilometers to the second turnpoint I saw two lightning
strikes on what looked to be our course line back to Big Spring. I have flown in
a lot of weather here around Big Spring, but I don't fly into developing storms
with lightning. I'll fly next to them and away from them, but not into them. I'm
the last person to want to stop a day.

I decided that it was not prudent to fly the last leg of the triangle. I was
racing fast to the second turnpoint assuming that I would land there and then
the rain started off to my right in two locations near to the course line. Now
it seemed that I was between two possible gust fronts.

I turned around and flew back to the north to the Stanton airfield and landed
there as quickly as I could.

Other pilots decided that they could deal with the over development and that
maybe it wasn't growing, which is what I felt was quite possible given the
forecasts that I had presented to the task committee. Zac raced ahead as the cu-nimb
flashed to our left.

Jeff O'Brien held back and worked his way around to the north of the storm and
made it to goal, probably first, but the track logs are screwed up. Larry Bunner
who was a little behind me said that he found 1000 fpm on the gust front from
the rain and used that to get quickly to goal.

A number of other pilots seeing what they faced spiraled down and landed to be
safe. They have requested that the task be stopped at 3:40 PM, the time of the
second lightning strike. We'll see if that takes place. The task would still be
scored with pilots getting their points from their position at 3:40 PM.