SCFR2015 Task 2

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

SCFR2015 Task 2

Post by jdevorak »

Task 2: The weather predictions had warnings of isolated thunder storms with the potential for flash floods in their vicinity. It was easy to believe because we had several last night. Monday morning the ground was dry except in the low lying areas. The sky, however, looked inviting. There were puffy clouds from the south drawing an ark to the northwest. That made many pilots nervous. Having lived in Arizona, it didn’t seem threatening to me. When there is bad weather here it is obvious to all. By the time the launch window opened the clouds were close. Is that a tractor kicking up dust or a micro gust front? Launch was halted several times for a tug to go check it out. The start clock was never pushed back. That means. for the guys in the back of the pack, we would not have a chance go with the lead gaggle. The meet director said it would not be a problem because he had added a fourth start clock. I was climbing through five thousand at takeoff when the last clock went by. Start cylinder was 5 miles away. The only other glider I saw was using me for chum. I lost the thermal just over 6k and went on glide…for almost 10 miles and all the way to the ground. I flew over the freeway with 300 feet. I zig-zaged over some power lines and went on final to the south, which was the predicted wind directions. It wasn’t at the time. I did a tail wind landing culminating in a vigorous flair. It worked, sort of. Later Ken and Greg told me they didn’t find any thermals until they got to some small mountains a mile past where I had landed. They got good climbs over those mountains then nothing else until they landed further along the course line. Later we speculated that the ground was too wet to produce except for the mountains which had water runoff. The lesson I learned today? Just because I did well in the last meet, that doesn’t mean I have arrived.
eat right, exercise, die anyway!
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