It Was a Long Day

After a nice evening with friends, we got back to the game at hand.  The weather has been challenging and the usual locals might not have flown on any of the days we did.  However, it has been a great contest so far and the weather is improving.  I am going to make this report a little short tonight since I’m just a little tired.

The task for today was a tour of the Scott Valley and then some.  It was a 2:45 Turn Area Task that started late due to weak conditions in the start area.  Several sniffers went up early and hung around for almost an hour before the launch began.  Our hats were off for these pilots that added a good amount of time airborne to help out the contest staff.  Well Done!  We moved to the higher tow release area after the CD called for a change to Task B.  We headed out of Craggy Start, China Start, Craggy South, Wright, Mount Eddie, Scott Valley, R Ranch, and finally home.  I didn’t know a nav system could hold that many points. 

After launch it was a little tough to get up and migrate to the edge of the start circle.  All the big ship seemed to be in one area.  When the gate opened it was clear you needed to get on the road early.  There were several lines available for the pilots to chose from.  Team 98 chose the east side of Scott Valley which put you over Duzel which seems to be a local favorite.  Daniel Sazhin flew a contest here where he went from turnpoint to Duzel, turnpoint to Duzel and so on till he won the day.  A unique way to solve the cross-country puzzle. Others chose the west side of Sasta Valley and they did pretty good.  Team Texas flew a superb flight and ran away from the field.  I need to see what they did.  We flew a long way with John Cochrain and Kempton Izuno in the Williams ASG-32MI.  The first climb going to China Start was a little exciting since some pilots were a little lower than desired. It is intimidating to see a mountain in the way of a good climb.  Everyone did well and soon we were off to the next point.  We headed to Craggy Start (remember, the mountain top turnpoint) and was lucky to pass over it by several hundred feet this time.  The run down to Wright was nice.  There was a convergence line with cu aligned with the wind line that enticed us to deviate a pretty good distance.  We have to look at the other traces to see what the right call would have been.  If there was no cu, I’m sure we would not have gone there.  Mount Eddie was a pretty impressive rock and also a time where we were worried if we would make it home.  We had flown for a couple of hours and still had 80 miles to go.  Funny thing was, we had a couple of great climbs very late in the day. 

Going to Scott Valley we had a decision.  Do we go straight over the valley or do we deviate over to Duzel?  Team 98 and WS chose the Duzel route.  We did get a few climbs that made sure we got home.  The run over Gunsight was again a good move and the final glide into the airport was easy. 

Team 98’s landing was a little different than all the others.  Pete asked me to retract the flaps after landing to put more weight on the wheels to enable better braking.  Well, guess I was a little tired and as soon as the tail wheel touched, you guessed it, I retracted the flaps.  What was going to be another perfect landing was a source of entertainment for the ground crew.  The ASG-32MI may not be able to land on a carrier, but she is sure a tough bird. 

Well, that’s it for tonight.  For those of you in the Standard Class Nationals, keep it up.  Some of you are beating the raw speeds of the big birds.  Way to go short wingers!

Cheers,
Rich Owen  
Team 98 Back Seater