BS2015 task 4
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:52 pm
Day 4 task 4
I told you how my driver was a now show. It has added a lot of stress scrounging for a retrieve every day. The pilots here have been very helpful and every day someone different has been able to squeeze me in despite a full truck. Hang gliding is NOT a cut throat competition. Today winds were supposed to lighten up with altitude. They called a triangle course of about 90 miles and landing back at the airport. The start cylinder was changed back to 5k and the start time of 16:40. Launch order is based on your overall position. I was 11th so I launched up front with a mandatory requirement to take the first clock. The race organizers think like Rob Burgis and want to make sure it is a race and not a chess game. Launching toward the front means I have to fly around in the start circle for almost an hour before I can go. Jonny Thompson from Kity Hawk flying a Dragon Fly with a big 914 engine got me up fast and waved me off in a good thermal. I couldn' maintain it and sank down to 2,000 AGL. By the time I climbed back up to 7,000 I was 3k form the cylinder and 2 minutes behind. I caught the lead gaggle about 20 miles out. I climbed with about 15 gliders. Everyone was circling left but not one circle. There were several overlapping circles. I had one close call because I wasn’t looking both left and right and someone yelled at me. I worked my way to (near) the top at 7500 feet. I had enough so I pulled on vg and headed out about the same time Zippy did. We lead the way. Looking back I saw the others still trying to milk it for all it was worth. I took the left path figuring I want to be on the up wind side so the next thermal I wouldn’t drift to so far down wind. Zippy took a straighter path and I lost track of him. I made the turn point and headed up wind for the second leg. I found one weak thermal after that with slightly more lift than drift. I gave up after about 4 minutes thinking with the altitude I had I would surly run across another one. I didn’t and glided all the way to the ground. Results aren’t out wet but it seems everyone landed before the second turn point. I got 8th for the day and moved up to 10th overall.
I told you how my driver was a now show. It has added a lot of stress scrounging for a retrieve every day. The pilots here have been very helpful and every day someone different has been able to squeeze me in despite a full truck. Hang gliding is NOT a cut throat competition. Today winds were supposed to lighten up with altitude. They called a triangle course of about 90 miles and landing back at the airport. The start cylinder was changed back to 5k and the start time of 16:40. Launch order is based on your overall position. I was 11th so I launched up front with a mandatory requirement to take the first clock. The race organizers think like Rob Burgis and want to make sure it is a race and not a chess game. Launching toward the front means I have to fly around in the start circle for almost an hour before I can go. Jonny Thompson from Kity Hawk flying a Dragon Fly with a big 914 engine got me up fast and waved me off in a good thermal. I couldn' maintain it and sank down to 2,000 AGL. By the time I climbed back up to 7,000 I was 3k form the cylinder and 2 minutes behind. I caught the lead gaggle about 20 miles out. I climbed with about 15 gliders. Everyone was circling left but not one circle. There were several overlapping circles. I had one close call because I wasn’t looking both left and right and someone yelled at me. I worked my way to (near) the top at 7500 feet. I had enough so I pulled on vg and headed out about the same time Zippy did. We lead the way. Looking back I saw the others still trying to milk it for all it was worth. I took the left path figuring I want to be on the up wind side so the next thermal I wouldn’t drift to so far down wind. Zippy took a straighter path and I lost track of him. I made the turn point and headed up wind for the second leg. I found one weak thermal after that with slightly more lift than drift. I gave up after about 4 minutes thinking with the altitude I had I would surly run across another one. I didn’t and glided all the way to the ground. Results aren’t out wet but it seems everyone landed before the second turn point. I got 8th for the day and moved up to 10th overall.