Day 3 Task (David Cutter)
Task #3 8/9/05
Straight downwind to BROWN
Total mileage 75.9mi. Duration: 2:00
My Total mileage: 18mi
I finally was ready in my usual early position in the launch line. I think I launched in the first ten pilots. Tow was uneventful. It felt smoother than yesterday. I pinned off at 4400ft MSL. I was at the bottom of a gaggle. The lift wasn't great but it was working. It seemed to get inconsistent and there were still people circling. I started looking up at the main gaggle and trying to get positioned under them better. I was starting to get worried about having to land again.
I started to get up finally and the gaggle started to get intense. I saw Phill just above me and then he got away from me. I saw Andreas right behind and below me and we kept that position for two turns. There were at least 5 other pilots at my altitude. There were a lot of other pilots circling above and below me. It was still going to be another half hour to the first start gate.
I see Phill head off toward a flat bottom cloud to the east. I see Andreas head upwind. I decide to stick with Andreas because I can see people turning where he's going. I hit the lift and finally get up to cloud base. It's about 10 minutes to the start gate. I'm trying to get all the way zipped up. The new zipper isn't as easy to close as the old one.
It's 3 minutes to the start gate and I haven't gone anywhere but I'm I've lost a, 1,000 ft just messing around with my zipper? I try to get under the gaggle but I can't find any thing. I start heading back up wind so I don't lose the airport. I hit some decent lift in the middle of nowhere. I'm going to miss the first gate and probably all the leaders will go at the first clock. My position is about 2.5 miles north of the airport. The start circle is 3.11 miles in diameter so it won't take me long to get to edge of the circle. I get back to cloud base. and now I have to kill about 4 minutes because I figure it's only going to take 30 seconds to glide to the circle.
There's about 8 guys above me by 300ft. who go on glide and I go with them at 2:15, the second start gate. My line turns out to be better and soon I'm even in altitude with the other pilots. I hit some really good lift and take 5 turns in it. Now I'm 500 ft or higher above the people I'm with. This first glide, the lift is great under these clouds and we are hardly losing anything. Four of the guys were heading northwest of course line. decided to head straight north and stay under the flat bottom clouds. As I continued I could see pilots circling under a cloud up ahead and headed straight for them. While gilding I thought most of the people are ahead and I'm going to have to jump gaggles to catch up. I was getting a great glide under these clouds.
There's 3 gliders ahead of me that are stopping to turn and I come in with them. The orange glider seems to be the best pilot. We're even in altitude and we do a few turns alternating who's higher. with both trying extending our circles looking for the better lift. Later I find out that this was the better lift. Finally I head more northeasterly to what look like better clouds leaving behind my friends. I do need to jump gaggles so that strategy seems to be working.
I can see one guy heading due west to a good looking cloud. I continue toward the gaggle up head. When I get there the lift isn't great. I try to work it but I'm averaging less than 100 up so I decide to continue. I'm still well over 5K. I see more turning gliders up ahead but all of them were by themselves. There was no gaggle. One guy was really low. and turning. I aimed for one glider that was at a medium altitude and going up. I didn't find anything strong and decided to continue on. I can see a few gliders sprinkled on the ground.
I'm starting to get down into the slow zone. Less than 4600ft. There's no one around and I head for a down wind corner of a field. I find something averaging 100ft up. and do a few turns in it. I see a large pond with a sizable cloud over it. That might work I head west to it. I can feel the glider accelerate. Looking good......... There it is. It's over a 100ft average for a few seconds.. For a couple turns it feels like it's going to work. Then I lose it or it shuts off. I try further upwind. Nothing. I run and head downwind to my LZ. I decide to zag diagonally across the cultivated field and a barn to get to an open field. On the way I feel strong lift . I 'm down to about 600ft AGL. I do a turn and climb a good bit. It feels good , I take another turn. The down wind drift is severe. I take another turn and I lose it. I turn on my downwind approach over the power lines. Not too far past the power lines. I think I'm too high but I don't like being behind the power lines. Turn to final. Why am I going so fast in ground effect? I flare (a little to early) Balloon up, parachute down and that's it.
Mistakes
Go to the flat bottom cloudsDown shift when the lift seems to be getting weaker and you start seeing people on the ground. Even if you're killing time before the start gate, pay attention to staying high, despite whatever equipment issues are going on.
Straight downwind to BROWN
Total mileage 75.9mi. Duration: 2:00
My Total mileage: 18mi
I finally was ready in my usual early position in the launch line. I think I launched in the first ten pilots. Tow was uneventful. It felt smoother than yesterday. I pinned off at 4400ft MSL. I was at the bottom of a gaggle. The lift wasn't great but it was working. It seemed to get inconsistent and there were still people circling. I started looking up at the main gaggle and trying to get positioned under them better. I was starting to get worried about having to land again.
I started to get up finally and the gaggle started to get intense. I saw Phill just above me and then he got away from me. I saw Andreas right behind and below me and we kept that position for two turns. There were at least 5 other pilots at my altitude. There were a lot of other pilots circling above and below me. It was still going to be another half hour to the first start gate.
I see Phill head off toward a flat bottom cloud to the east. I see Andreas head upwind. I decide to stick with Andreas because I can see people turning where he's going. I hit the lift and finally get up to cloud base. It's about 10 minutes to the start gate. I'm trying to get all the way zipped up. The new zipper isn't as easy to close as the old one.
It's 3 minutes to the start gate and I haven't gone anywhere but I'm I've lost a, 1,000 ft just messing around with my zipper? I try to get under the gaggle but I can't find any thing. I start heading back up wind so I don't lose the airport. I hit some decent lift in the middle of nowhere. I'm going to miss the first gate and probably all the leaders will go at the first clock. My position is about 2.5 miles north of the airport. The start circle is 3.11 miles in diameter so it won't take me long to get to edge of the circle. I get back to cloud base. and now I have to kill about 4 minutes because I figure it's only going to take 30 seconds to glide to the circle.
There's about 8 guys above me by 300ft. who go on glide and I go with them at 2:15, the second start gate. My line turns out to be better and soon I'm even in altitude with the other pilots. I hit some really good lift and take 5 turns in it. Now I'm 500 ft or higher above the people I'm with. This first glide, the lift is great under these clouds and we are hardly losing anything. Four of the guys were heading northwest of course line. decided to head straight north and stay under the flat bottom clouds. As I continued I could see pilots circling under a cloud up ahead and headed straight for them. While gilding I thought most of the people are ahead and I'm going to have to jump gaggles to catch up. I was getting a great glide under these clouds.
There's 3 gliders ahead of me that are stopping to turn and I come in with them. The orange glider seems to be the best pilot. We're even in altitude and we do a few turns alternating who's higher. with both trying extending our circles looking for the better lift. Later I find out that this was the better lift. Finally I head more northeasterly to what look like better clouds leaving behind my friends. I do need to jump gaggles so that strategy seems to be working.
I can see one guy heading due west to a good looking cloud. I continue toward the gaggle up head. When I get there the lift isn't great. I try to work it but I'm averaging less than 100 up so I decide to continue. I'm still well over 5K. I see more turning gliders up ahead but all of them were by themselves. There was no gaggle. One guy was really low. and turning. I aimed for one glider that was at a medium altitude and going up. I didn't find anything strong and decided to continue on. I can see a few gliders sprinkled on the ground.
I'm starting to get down into the slow zone. Less than 4600ft. There's no one around and I head for a down wind corner of a field. I find something averaging 100ft up. and do a few turns in it. I see a large pond with a sizable cloud over it. That might work I head west to it. I can feel the glider accelerate. Looking good......... There it is. It's over a 100ft average for a few seconds.. For a couple turns it feels like it's going to work. Then I lose it or it shuts off. I try further upwind. Nothing. I run and head downwind to my LZ. I decide to zag diagonally across the cultivated field and a barn to get to an open field. On the way I feel strong lift . I 'm down to about 600ft AGL. I do a turn and climb a good bit. It feels good , I take another turn. The down wind drift is severe. I take another turn and I lose it. I turn on my downwind approach over the power lines. Not too far past the power lines. I think I'm too high but I don't like being behind the power lines. Turn to final. Why am I going so fast in ground effect? I flare (a little to early) Balloon up, parachute down and that's it.
Mistakes
Go to the flat bottom cloudsDown shift when the lift seems to be getting weaker and you start seeing people on the ground. Even if you're killing time before the start gate, pay attention to staying high, despite whatever equipment issues are going on.
posted by Anonymous at 9:46 PM
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