Contest Day 1

What a beautiful summer day we had to start out Region 3 2019! Temps in low 80s, sunny cu-filled skies, and low humidity. And some good flying too.

The cold front went through overnight and we experienced stiff NW winds all day. Cus started popping mid-morning. The sniffer was sent up at 1130 and quickly reported 4000ft bases and 3kts lift, so the fleet was launched in short order.

The 18m task was an AT to Nunda->ElklandBridge->Avoca, to follow the wind line. The Sports task was a 3hr TAT with the same turnpoints and circles of 20-15-9mi, respectively.

Cloudbase was around 6000ft and lift was reported as good as 5-6kts although the wind did rip the thermals up. Cloud streets were abdundant and worked well if you timed them right. It was not a perfect day, however. There were some low saves around the first turn, Nunda, and staying above 4000ft was key to staying out of trouble.

Sean Murphy [XC] at 65mph and RoyMcMaster [1] at 52mph (raw) take first for the day in the 18m Class and Sports Class, respectively.

The ridge in front of the Hill was working, so a few pilots stayed up and cruised back-and-forth for a while. A Harris Hill tradition, it is fun to do and fun to watch. HW, of course, was on the deck!

J9