SCFR day6

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jdevorak
Posts: 273
Joined: Sun Nov 05, 2006 8:37 am
Location: Kagel LZ

SCFR day6

Post by jdevorak »

Day 6: It was a technically challenging day. We flew 15 miles south east down wind, 31 miles north west into the wind, then 16 miles south east back to the motel. After pinning off tow I found a slow climb with one of the Swifts and a couple other gliders. We drift outside the 2 km start circle. 7 minutes before the first clock at 5200 feet I decide to go back inside the cylinder figuring that those that towed up behind me will show where the lift is. The tactic works but not well. I go on course from 4500 feet (2900 agl). I find a 200 ft/min climb after a couple of minutes and stay with it drifting down wind. Every time I see somebody in front of me circling I shoot over to them and join in. It works well getting me higher and higher. Just before the first turn point I get under a cloud that takes me to 7400 and plays me the happy music. I head into the wind getting a 13.7/1 glide. Not bad. After my mistake yesterday when I lead out, I maximize each climb and go for the gliders in front of me that are circling. Now I am flying into a blue hole and my thermal markers disappear. After 8 miles of sink I see four gliders off to the right that are scratching about 1500 agl. One is Kendall and another is Soderquist. I fly in over them and “climb� down to their altitude. At least that is what it seems like to me. We are joined by another half dozen gliders. I scratched there for what seemed like a half hour. Every time my require L/D started getting worse I would head upwind again. I went 8 miles like that getting a few soft climbs but never getting more than 3,000 agl. I saw a couple of gliders that landed on the left side of the highway. I got down to 300 agl and saw a couple of saw a couple more gliders on the ground to the right of the highway. I pinched my butt hole to get past them. I put my hands up by my ears like Burgis said and faired hard. I forgot to take off my vg so I ballooned up. Did a butt landing, no damage. The other two gliders turned out to be Davis Straub and Larry Bunner. Chris Arai landed next to me shortly after. Kendall landed a quarter mile up the road with Rudy, a buddy from Mexico and an old friend of Juan Corral. Either I did better or they did worse. Jonny Durrand made goal and won the day. Kraig Coomber was third and will retain the overall lead. Moyes pilots are in the first 5 places.
eat right, exercise, die anyway!
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JD
Posts: 1682
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:05 am

Post by JD »

Thanks for all the reports Jay! Very enjoyable reading material. :D
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