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

http://tinyurl.com/davisspot

http://www.livetrack24.com/tracks/username/davisstraub

SPOT Tracks: http://tinyurl.com/scfr2012

Results will be
here
later.

Mike Bilyk's photo of Jeff O'Brien, followed by Joe Bostik and Matt Barker on
Monday.

I looked at the XCSkies and Dr. Jack forecasts and to me no matter what they say
about 1,100 fpm to 1,200 fpm lift it looked like a weak day much like the first
day, and not at all like the second day. I accepted the forecast for light winds
(which matched what we were seeing from our balcony). I didn't see much of a
chance for cu's in the valley, but possible over the mountain.

The main issue would be the low inversion that would be quite definite at noon
at 5,200' and would gradually become less drastic during the day but would be
enough to keep us from getting high, again out in the valley around Casa Grade.
It just did not look like we would get up to the higher inversion unless we went
to the mountains.

In spite of my sour news the task committee called a task a little longer than
the first day, and as you recall no flex wing made it in to goal on that first
day. The nice aspect of the task was that it took us to the mountain range north
of the Estrella glider port, which got us to 15,000' last year and allowed
pilots to get back to goal without any lift in the valley on the way home. Today
it looked like we could get to 11,000' or maybe 12,000' on the range.

As I had forecasted (looking at the FSL t-skew) the lift was capped at less than
6,000' and the climbs were quite weak around the launch area and to the north
toward the 5 km entry start cylinder at Bon, an intersection just before the
Phoenix Regional airfield, which, btw, isn't near Phoenix. We were searching or
gaggling up, or bouncing around waiting for something good to come along. It
didn't.

It really did us no good to try to wait out the poor lift because it never got
any better.  Most of us left at the last start clock at 2:20. It would have
been better to be on the course at 1:40 so that we would have had a chance to
complete the task before the lift gave out as the sun headed south (actually
west).

We all started off low, less than 5,000' and headed up the highway to the
northwest toward Maricopa. We found weak lift and slow climbs to less than
5,000', just as we had ever since we launched. The lift was smooth enough to be
pleasant, but we just were not getting up.

After a 150 fpm climb over Maricopa I headed west from 4,200' along the highway
toward the Estrella airfield. Seven kilometers later I was down in 1,900', 700'
AGL. I was trashing about not able to keep up with the lead pilots, who weren't
doing all that well either just in front of me.

I felt a little tiny piece of lift over a field north of the highway that had
already captured one pilot and would soon be home to a couple more. With Alex
McColluh just a few feet over my head I started turning in light sink searching
around for something more useful. After ten minutes I was down to 400' AGL
before I actually was able to connect to something positive and I slowly worked
it as it improved (or actually as I found the better portions of it) and after a
total of twenty five minutes of just holding on to give myself a chance I was
able to drift away from the field at 3,600'.

The field was next to the east/west highway, but my  task turnpoint was to
the north past the mountain range rising up quickly behind me. I was still low
going toward the range and was in full search mode trying to find a little
something that would get me a bit higher on the flanks of the rocky ridges
before I left the fast rising desert floor. I had a plan to land back on the
floor if I got low, but it would have been down hill in little to no wind and as
I approached the hill sides I noticed that they were full of large standing
cactus which would have proved interesting. Of course, there was only a rough
dirt road any where nearby.

I found a little bit of lift and drifted further toward the rocky outcroppings
and then finally committed to going in close to them at 900' AGL. Fortunately,
there was indeed lift where there was supposed to be on the sunlit rocks and I
started climbing at 200 fpm. Starting at 2,500' I was low on the sides of the
mountain and it took a while to get over the ridge line at 4,000'. I scooted
further north below ridge height to find better lift and was rewarded with again
200 fpm, but a better shot at the ridge top.

Once on top of the ridge the lift kept increasing and it wasn't long before I
was in a 600 fpm smooth core to 9,700' slowly drifting north a mere kilometer
away from the 45 kilometer radius turnpoint cylinder. I went and tagged it, came
back and climbed under a very nice cu to 10,900'. I knew that there would be
little to no lift back out in the valley after 4:30 PM, so the point was to get
as high as possible as this would be the last thermal for the day. It was a lot
cooler up there.

I went on a straight glide toward the turnpoint into light winds gliding at best
L/D. My hope was the no one would make goal so that fact that I was way behind
them would not matter. It was a 40 kilometer glide to the last turnpoint and I
could see that I I needed a little more than an extra 3000' if I wanted to make
goal. It was done last year from 15,000', but I knew that I couldn't make it
from 11,000'.

Fifteen kilometers out from the turnpoint I noticed O'Brien, Matt Barker, Greg
Dinaur, and Robin Hamilton way to the east of me on a parallel glide just
slightly above me also heading for the turnpoint. I was shocked to see them as I
felt I had gotten way behind. Eight kilometers from the turnpoint at Interstate
8 and Stanfield exit, I came in a couple of hundred feet under them. They were
turning in zero sink.

I didn't find much and went on glide getting to within five kilometers of the
turnpoint. Robin and O'Brien, and I assume Matt landed near the turnpoint
getting the furthest for the day. Other pilots had tried to use the small hills
to the right of the course line for additional lift, and as was the case last
year they didn't find any.

Brian Porter made it in in his Swift. Bruce Barmekian was about a mile short.
Brian left the mountains at 9,000' with his instrument telling him he could make
it to goal. Bruce left with 10,500', but like some other misguided pilots didn't
take the direct route to the turnpoint, but shaded to the left to search for
lift in the hills.

Day three:

Totals: