It Was Good Until It Wasnt
Well, we had to break the string of 100mph days but we didn’t have to do it with such excitement. I do want to tell you Happy 4th of July! Even though the State of Utah doesn’t allow fireworks due to the fire threat, we certainly had a great display last night and tonight. While the pilots were flying today, Team 89 and AG crews went to the store and bought a mini pool, mister, barbeque grill and food to feed the masses. Apparently, there are pictures of the crews in the pool in their bathing suits. So, after the ships were put away, Rick Indrebo had his tool kit out putting the barbeque together. He must have been very good as a dad during Christmas. Nothing is better than sharing a meal with friends during the holidays.
Back to flying now. The weather had a good chance to blow up in the afternoon. Only problem was, the weather didn’t listen. The CD sent us out on a TAT from Start SW to Whiskey Knoll, Drum Mountain, GBintersection (think this was done on purpose for the 4th of July?) and home. The launch was fast but we had several relights when the lift cycled. Multiple start times were announced only to delay starting 3 times. Soon we were off, and due to the tag up start, we left the start line at 17,000ft. That made for a fast start until we reached the edge of the Whiskey Knoll cylinder. The rain and lower cloud bases prevailed throughout the cylinder so we all just touched the cylinder and moved on. Heading to Drum Mountain we ran into rain again but the shelf from the storm was working and we were able to get high enough to make a cautious crossing of the sandy area that made up the valley. When the majority of the gaggle got within 20km of the turnpoint, speeds went up due to some nice looking clouds at the edge of the turnpoint. The climbs were good and the race was still on. The 100mph goal was within reach. Most went to the maximum distance point since we turned early in the first TP. Heading to GBintersection, dark clouds, rain, overdevelopment and everything bad for soaring appeared on the horizon. Some pilots chose to return early to avoid a landout. Others rolled the dice. The gaggle survived and came home. Some either landed out or did an impromptu engine test. It seemed there was a dead area in the turnpoint and if you could get past it, everything was fine. This certainly had an impact on the score sheet today. Finishing in third place today was Robin Clark, second was Jim Lee and in first place today was Joe Bostik. He completed the 498km task at 134.43kph. Joe happens to be a former Seminole-Lake Gliderport pilot and a former partner with Jim Lee in a Standard Cirus. Of course, Jim was the manager of Seminole-Lake for a few years. We miss them both! Great flight guys!
The top spot on the scoresheet had a couple of changes. Sean Fidler is continuing with his steady, well flown flights to be in first place with 4834 points. Second is Rick Indrebo with 4523 points. Third place is Jim Lee with 4516 points. The top nine points are separated by fewer than 200 points with 4 days to go. This will come down to the last day, so keep in touch. The weather tomorrow could be challenging again. The three days after that should have us back in the 100mph range.
Before we leave tonight, talk to our ground crew and thank them for their hard work. Some had jobs they took unpaid leave from to be part of ground operations. The hustle and attention to detail they have showed during this week has been impressive. How many times did you have to get out of the ship before it was removed from the end of the runway? So, take a minute and say thanks. By the way, do not forget your wallet before you leave.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
ZO