BS2015 task 4

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

BS2015 task 4

Post by jdevorak »

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.
eat right, exercise, die anyway!
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JD
Posts: 1682
Joined: Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:05 am

Who Paid Your Driver to Flake?

Post by JD »

Jay,
If you'd stop doing so darned well then maybe the other pilots would refrain from paying your errant or AWOL driver more to stay home than you'd be to have her on course. Keep turning the screws brotha!
Cheers,
JD
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