Did I Turn On the Oxygen
Today was a great day for flying in Uvalde. Dawn broke at the airport at 7:14am and there was already movement in the trailer parking area. We have a 3-year-old, whose parents are parked right across from Team 98, that always stops by to give me high fives and fist bumps. It really makes your day better when you see youngsters on the airfield. We only hope that Charlie Spatt is looking down and guiding these juniors in sailplane adventures.
By 8:30am our ship is on the grid and the temperature barely reaches 84 degrees, a cold morning in Uvalde. Today we headed for the Local Fix for breakfast and met up with a handful of glider pilots. I was reminded that I made an error on my report yesterday. The Open Class does have a valid regional contest but will not receive US Team ranking points. The 20 Meter Class has 4 competitors, all of whom are SSA members. Adam Woolley is not a Guest entry at all, just an Australian that is enjoying himself at Uvalde and kicking our butt in 20 Meter.
At the Pilots Meeting, Gary Ittner gave the safety talk based on his second-place finish in the 18 Meter Class. He discussed advice that 3 doctors presented at other pilots meetings regarding dehydration. Although each doctor had very good information on the subject, the third doctor just happened to be a veterinarian. He said that although dehydration was an important issue, you should always have your dog on a leash at the airport. You would never expect such humor out of Gary. Must be Gina’s (his sister who traveled from New Zealand to crew for him) influence on him at contests. Everyone had a good laugh!
Ok, now for the flying. I’ll start with 18 Meter Class since I’m staying with Dave Springford and he likes to retire at a normal time. All the classes were sent on an Assigned Area Task with a 4 hour minimum time. We all did our share of flying in the hill country today and most found the experience enjoyable. For 18 Meter, they went from Start C, McKinley, Eagle Pass (good view of the border), Kerville, Rocksprings and Finish. After takeoff it was a little weak and most of the gliders took a good while to get into the cooler temperatures. At about 1:15pm the weather seemed to switch on and lift was starting to get stronger. It wasn’t until 1:50pm that competitors could get to the maximum altitude of 7,000ft. After a quick check with the task advisor (P7), the gate was opened, and the race was on. Most pilots started between 2 and 2:10pm. The first leg to McKinley was a little blue with wisps in the distance. Not very fast but not a difficult leg. Good climbs were had, and everyone was happy. On the next two legs to Eagle Pass (good look at the border) and Kerville, climbs got better and the cloudbase rose to 12,000ft. Decisions on what route to go into the task areas are always the difference in the score sheet. Today was no different. Up in the hill country, some pilots found it difficult to find a good climb. The day was getting weak, and with the 4-hour minimum task time, the day was a little long in the tooth. You also had so many good climbs for the last 2 legs that pilots passed up on the 4 knot climbs looking for those 7 knot boomers at 6pm. It just didn’t work that way today. Everyone made it back home, and most of the folks stopped by the beer stand in the trees today. More on that latter.
David Leonard took third place while Sean Murphy finished in second but also was awarded the lowest altitude in the hill country award. David Greenhill, in his brand new AS-33Es, took first with a speed of 93.5mph over 374 miles. Nice job David!
In the bus class, 20 Meter was sent from Start A to Yancy, Kerrville, Junction, Mafrige and Finish. Team 98 were the task advisors for the class and Pete Alexander gave his approval of the task when asked by Mark Huffstutler (CD). The task was opened at 1:04pm. It took until 1:50pm before any of us could get to the maximum start altitude of 7,000ft. Some left slightly lower or waited longer to get a good first glide at the maximum altitude. There were wisps on course and cu were just starting to pop along the route. At about the mid-point in the turn area, you could turn or continue to the edge of the circle. There was a large blue area you had to avoid. The run to Kerrville was good but some of the pilots had issues with the leg into Junction. Climbs were not as good up to that point and a few found themselves disconnected from the higher lift band. At Junction we were able to climb to over 12,000ft and the temperature was wonderful, unless you are from Florida. It was cold in the back seat of 98 but I was on oxygen and happy being that high over the hill country. It was easy to stay connected to the clouds and the speeds rose. Going to Mafrige the clouds started to break up and the weather down track seemed like it was going to be trouble to make it back to Uvalde. We were 60 miles from home and the sky was blue to the finish and the air seemed like all the energy had left. So, we started at a slower speed to conserve our altitude and ran the wind line. We happened to see UC behind us, it was Keith Essex in his beautiful EB-29R. The air started to get more energetic and soon we found a 6-knot thermal to get us home. It is a great day when you beat the EB-29 on final glide home. The Woolley and Pulkkinen Team took first place today going 329 miles at 80mph. In second place was Team 98 with Barry Jaeger and Dick Andrews in third.
Since it is so late, I asked Dave Springford to write the Open Class report. He was very happy to do this for me since we have been great friends for a good number of years. So here it is:
Open Class had a task, and everyone made it back home safely.
Apparently, Dave used his same literary talents for the Canadian Nationals this summer. This is just poking a little fun at these guys that have wings that make 18-meter ships look like Silents in 13.5 meter configuration. In our parking line, we wanted to protest Keith Essex for having more crew than he could fit into his vehicle. It is amazing to see the number of crew he has every day to help get his EB-29 to the line. I will try to do a better job covering the Open Class tomorrow. Maybe I can get one of the Open Class pilots to let me know how the task progressed.
That is all for tonight. Tomorrow is going to be another great day in Texas, hot, dry, big cu and a sky full of lift. Maybe I can finish the day with a margarita. Good night all and be safe.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater