Just a Day in the Park
When the sun came up on the high desert of Montague, the weather forecast was as varied as the models you looked at. Yesterday we had cu forming around 10:30am but today at 11:30 we did not see anything but some high cirrus and mid-level clouds. When the task advisors came out of the meeting, it was evident that we were going to fly a similar task as yesterday. As the morning progressed, it was clear we had a different air mass than expected. Our Task B was still good but Rex added a Task C just to have a back up plan if the day turned really bad. Luckily, we did not need it since the lift came up at a slightly delayed launch time. It was easy to get up to altitude and everyone had the same idea, start as soon as the gate opened. We had a Turn Area Task that started at Craggy, and went to Etna, Schonchin, Radar Facility, Duzel (told you we always use this point), and finish. It was a nominal 312km task that we figured it would result in a 74mph speed to complete. Minimum time was 02:30. Approaching task opening, many of the gliders were hovering just under the max altitude of 10,000ft cruising the start circle. Team 98 had a great start with a 7kt thermal to 12,000ft and we were off to the races. At the first turnpoint, gliders were spread over a wide area. Some high clouds were affecting the area around Etna but good climbs could be found. The run to Schonchin was a little harder. When we passed over the Butler valley, the weather got progressively worse. High clouds and cu that looked very broken up became a concern. The Schonchin turnpoint had one cu located in the back of the cylinder that worked for some but not all. The next point that decided the scores was a very broken up cloud street or convergence line leading into the Radar Facility turnpoint. Again, some pilots were able to work this street and others found nothing but sink. The final glide was also a challenge. You normally can get a climb at Duzel to get you home. It has worked almost every single day. Today Duzel was in the shadow of high clouds. It did work for some but others found a pretty dead glide to home. No one landed out today even though the weather and task were a challenge.
Before we get to the scores, I would like to talk about our ground crew. For many of the pilots that operate out of Williams Soaring their names are very familiar. Every day they are pushing gliders from the staging area off the runway, to the takeoff position. Now these gliders weigh around 1,600lbs so the kids are getting a workout. When we return, they stand at the taxiway/runway intersection and catch wing tips, find and install tow out gear, grab crew vehicles and push off the occasional glider that does not make the intersection. They hustle, and help the pilots safely exit the runway for the next ship to land. The tow pilots will also help the ground crew in this important duty. Nathan Griffin, Erik Thomsen, Joel Indrebo, Barbara Burian, and Alma Mayes were invaluable, working every day to make the pilots lives so much easier and safer. It was good to see George Mayes with Alma every day on the flight line. The son of Alma and Nick Mayes, he is just over one year old and absolutely stole the hearts of all the pilots. I really enjoyed the high fives he gave us for luck before getting into the ships. He will obviously become a pilot just like his dad, grandfather, grandmother and uncle.
When pilots return from their flights, we all know to get flight logs to the scorer within one hour. Few pilots really know what this individual actually does. Ted Reynolds was our scorer for the Nationals which was governed by a different set of scoring rules than a normal SSA contest. He coordinated with John Goodfrey who operated as a representative of the SSA in this project. Ted had to run down various penalties, resolve dropped IGC tracks over 1 minute, and make sure every start was correctly scored. Besides that, he was always on the line helping with the launch. He gave up an enormous amount of his personal time to learn the procedures and mechanics to score this contest. A CFI-G and aspiring powered pilot (well I guess he is a powered pilot since he owns a beautiful Piper Scout), Ted is an outstanding example of the type of people that volunteer their time to make our fun happen. Please take a minute and thank each and every one of them. Without their help, none of us would be able to race.
In third place was Bill Kaewert and Clemens Ceipek. Bill had not flown a contest in quit a while and Clemens was in his first contest. Rex named them the most improved pilots of the contest and this result showed that hard work pays off. In second was Bif Huss who flew with John “Dobie” Gillis today for his graduation flight. Bif mentored two pilots (Dobie and Chekov, actually Vitally Aksonov, who were honored to receive honorary Navy fighter pilot call signs for their hard work and great flying) during this national, letting them experience the joys of racing. Chekov is flying his graduation flight tomorrow. They both prepared the glider, fixed the brakes on Bif’s trailer, repaired a flat tire on Bif’s bike and got to fly with a Tomcat pilot. What could be better? In first, with a distance of 364km at a speed of 125.52kph, was Team Texas. Mike Westbrook and Jacob Fairbairn smoked the field! Well done guys and we really loved the chalk writing on the taxiway cheering on Team Texas. Now that is crew support.
Tomorrow is the final day of the 20 Meter Nationals and it will be an exciting finish. In first place overall is the Team of John Cochrane and Kempton Izuno with 5039 points with Team Texas in second with 4910. Only 49 points separate these two teams. In third place, is Team 98 with a combined score of 4733. Pete might have better off if he used one of those dummies people put in the right seat, to drive on HOV lanes, in his back seat. We are all looking forward to the racing tomorrow and the banquet in the hangar tomorrow night. Until then, stay high, go fast and come home safely!
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team 98 Back Seater