Another Tour of the Hill Country

 Seems like there is crew mutiny in the 7T camp. The young Fidler decided to switch teams and was seen going down to the grid driving the 89 crew vehicle. Good thing they were going down the runway since it is a lot wider, and this was the first time the young crewmember had driven. Tiffany asked, where is Vaugn, as she saw the back of Vaughn’s head driving away with 89’s ship in tow.

 At breakfast this morning we had the pleasure to speak with a several Texas Depart of Public Safety and Florida State Troopers brought in due to the border crisis. Most were from out of the area and left their families to keep us all safe. They were very upbeat and a credit to their departments. I will tell you, the Florida State Trooper I spoke with looked like an Alabama offensive lineman. He was huge!

 Volunteers are the key to running a great contest, and Mark Huffstutler has certainly rounded up an all-star crew. For the next few days, I’d like to take a minute and tell you about the folks that allow us to enjoy this competition. Our Scorer, Ron Gleason, lives in Utah and fly’s out of Logan. He will be involved with the scoring for the 2024 WGC in Uvalde. This year he is using both Winscore and See You competition to familiarize himself with both scoring programs. Ron is also publishing information on We Glide, Soaring Spot, and utilizing OGN tracking to keep a lookout on all the competitors. Thank you Ron for all your hard work!

At the pilots meeting, our weather brief was not a joyful experience. Yesterday the expectation was for the weather to be better. Today it looks worse than yesterday, and we are in the hill county. Doubt was everywhere when the CD told us the task will be handed out on the grid. Traditionally, Mark always handed out a nicely diagramed task sheet at the pilots meeting. Well, we are looking forward to an exciting day.

 I am finally back from dinner and time to do the reports. First, tomorrow is cancelled due to a very high chance for heavy rain and storms. A Rules Input Meeting is scheduled for 9:30am for pilots to make their desires known for rule changes, deletions, explanations or additions.

Now for the flying, The 18-meter class was sent on an Assigned Area Task with a minimum time of 4 hours from Start A, Devine, Fredricksberg, Canyon Ranch, Mafrige, and Finish. In the start circle, cirrus came in right before the gate opened. Going to Devine, the leg was straight forward. Climbs were 3 knots to 7,600ft. Heading to Fredickberg, climbs were getting great. Most pilots experienced 6-8 knot climbs to 10,600ft. Next leg was again good and I’m sure all the pilots are going to thank Fernando for the good forecast. Some pilots used the 18 knot tailwind to get their L/D to 171 over a 110 mile leg. Shade came in around Canyon Ranch that produced large blue holes, but you were able to glide through that area easily. Approaching Mafridge, there was a cloud street that produced speeds around 90 mph on that leg. The final glide was tough. Going into a 13 knot headwind, with blue holes, many people suffered in much weaker conditions. Scoring moved the top competitors around a little. In third place was Gary Ittner with Rick Indrebo in second. Winning the day was Jerzy Szemplinski with a speed of 86.94 mph over 364 miles. Only 105 points separate the top six pilots, with only 40 points separating the top 3. Sean Fidler is in first place with Dave Leonard 25 points behind and Sean Murphy is third place overall. This is a very tight race for the podium. Good luck to all of you!

The 20-meter class had an Assigned Area Task of 267 miles with a minimum time of 4 hours. We left from Start C, Devine, Rust, Goebel, Rocksprings, Leona and Finish. The start area was a little weak and we wondered if the day was going to be a repeat of Saturday. The first leg was a little weak with 3 knot climbs and heights that were not impressive. Soon the light switch was turned on and the race was on. Great climbs to higher altitudes greeted most of the pilots. Team 98 did 315 miles (10 miles less than maximum) but were going to be 25 minutes early so we slowed down to make final glide easy. At the airfield we were over 2,500ft above the finish altitude. Looking back, we figured we were on an 88.66 mph pace for the flight we flew. But that is not the way the rules work. In third place Rob Cluxton and David Hart with Team 98 in second. Team 1 finished in first place with a speed of 80.74mph over the maximum distance of 325 miles and they were still 2 minutes under time. Mark, you owe Team 98 a beer!

Open Class started early figuring the area was going to blow up late in the day. Their Assigned Area Task of 349 miles nominal with a minimum time of 4 hours had them begin at Start D, McKinley, Boerne Stage, Junction, Mafridge, Bracketville and Finish. All I know is they had a good amount of rain near their first turnpoint. Sorry, I just do not hear from the guys with really big wings.
That is all for tonight. Take care and fly safe.
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater