Oz Report

Falling down

Doesn't play well with others (Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona)

Time for a review of my disastrous (although it doesn't "feel" that way) Santa Cruz Flats Race with an eye toward providing the Oz Report reader with applicable lessons (as I don't seem to have the emotional makeup required to "learn" them) regarding how to do well in a competition.

At my last competition, the New South Wales State Titles, I was doing very well.  I was in fourth place and looking to move into third, if not second (on the last day) before my ride to minor glory got cut short through my lack of good foot launching skills, and I crashed on launch.  I'd also done well at the Forbes Flatlands gathering plenty of points for the NTSS ranking that put me into first place in the US.  So you'd think that I would be able to put it all together in a friendly (to me) spot, in Casa Grande.  It was not to be.

The major problem?  I was impatient on the ground and in the air.  I just was unwilling to wait in the launch line, so I launched early, even though I had priority staging (task committee privilege) every day.  Launching early led me to starting early (first start time) and not with the fast guys and often on my own.  This significantly reduces one's chances of finding lift.  This also means you don't have the best guys to help you make decisions about when to climb and when to leave.

The launch area on the right (click for a better view).

On the first day I went at the first start time, while most of the pilots who made it to goal on that day took the second start.  I was alone almost the whole way.  Going to the second turnpoint of the 64 mile triangle I was finally following a pilot but failed to follow him well enough to stop and search for lift as he did before the second turnpoint at Eds.  I was too oriented to getting to the turnpoint.

On the second day, a day that no one makes it back to goal, I was again on my own.  I left the start cylinder low and others waited behind me.  I had attempted to take the first start time when I was high, but no one went with me, so I went back but got low.  I took the second start time, but was lower than the previous start time and I was on my own.  Without cu's to mark a good thermal it is hard to get all the pilots together at the start circle for a start together.

On this flight I had a great time making a very low save, while Leo and Phill watched above me, but that didn't help me later.  I was impatient when I finally got high before the turnpoint at Red Rock and didn't get myself in a good position to go upwind.  I was worn out by then, low, and heading up wind and not in a fit state to go across an area with difficult retrieval.

On the third day, I got to fly with other pilots, including Jeff Shapiro.  This helped greatly.  I was able to make it into 11th place on this day.  I started with most of the other pilots and worked closely with other pilots on all the legs.  I was impatient near the end of the day working broken weak lift, which is why I didn't place even better.

I was able to make my second low save of the meet circling up over Michael Williams.  I was patient for most of the flight, although not all of it.  I'm not a happy camper in broken weak lift.  Weak is okay.  Broken is not.

On the fourth day I pull a real boner.  The lift is weak but consistent as again I get off early, real early.  I am climbing with five or six other pilots in the start circle and we are getting higher than I've been all week, almost to 8,000'.  We are also drifting down wind, but not too fast.  I'm still inside the start cylinder by a mile and a half with a little over half an hour to go before the first start clock.

What we were flying in.

Then I pull a fast one.  I race to the edge of the start cylinder to get a start time 30 minutes and twelve seconds before the first start time.  If one starts before the first clock your start time (and flight interval) is rotated (shifted) around the first start time, so this would give me the third start time by 12 seconds.  It would also put me on my own out in front with no help.  Just so impatient and so emotional.

The day looks like the best day so far, the task is to go down wind.  I'm feeling my oats and want to get to goal and broken down before anyone else gets there.

But then it turns out that the rigid wings have started at the same time without telling us.  As I run to the hills to the east I find the rigid wings high above me (except for Campbell, who joins me) and now I've almost got folks to fly with.

Unfortunately, I quickly lose Campbell and don't see him again.  I fly to a dust devil where a couple of rigids are high and I get to 8,000'.  I'm feeling good, but there is no one around as the rigids have disappeared.  I fly on my own to the south to get upwind a bit and hit the ground by myself.

 On the fifth day, we have a big bow tie task to the northwest with light winds, for once.  Again I am in the air early and doing well in the start cylinder.  I do well every day in the start cylinder getting high, but not the highest, making good decisions about where to go often, and staying with some of the best pilots.  I'm 500' below Jonny and Andre when they take the first start clock (7 minutes late) and head north northwest.  I go with them, but under them.

Being that far below is not great, and very soon I am on my own again as the next pilots won't take the next start clock but the one after that.  On my own I get stuck low working weak broken lift near Maricopa and soon everyone comes over my head and Jonny and Andre work high above me.  I'm screwed, and still on my own.

I do find a couple of friends hours later coming back from the upwind leg and they help a bit, but it's way too late.  Fortunately, no one makes goal (Nene lands .5 km from goal) so my very slow flight is not as bad as it could be and I end up 17th for the day.

On the final day, it all goes to hell.  Again, I am off early, but the lift is weak and low and we spend lots of time around the launch area working our way up very slowly, so that there are lots of pilots around and we are huddling together to try to get up.  Even the rigids have come back and won't start their task until 45 minutes late.

At the edge of the start cylinder we are working our way up slowly when the first start time comes up and five or six pilots head out.  I decide to go with them.  Bad mistake.  Again, I'm just a little bit lower, but low enough that I don't have enough altitude to make it to the hills ahead where I see one rigid wing pilot turning.  I hit 700 fpm down and land right way for last place for the day.

Those pilots that waited for the second and even third clock do much better and make goal.

So my meet is a lesson in impatience and unwillingness to hang back in the start circle, get as high as possible and go with the fast guys.

While I "felt" bad on my last day at the meet, I didn't feel so bad on the other days.  Usually if I don't do well at a hang gliding competition I experience unpleasant feelings and have a hard time sleeping, but not this meet.  I think I was in a bit of a daze during the meet, coming back from the knee injury and having so many responsibilities (weather, task committee, scoring, reporting).

But there is always next time, and maybe I'll find a patience pill.

http://hang6.blogspot.com/

http://naughtylawyertravels.blogspot.com/

Discuss Falling down at the Oz Report forum   link»

Greg DeWolf's video of the Santa Cruz Flats Race

Just the essence (Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjcc3qCnSK8

Thanks to David Glover

Discuss SCFR Video at the Oz Report forum   link»

IGC track logs on line - Santa Cruz Flats Race

Everyone's flight (Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona)

The flex wing results.

The rigid wing results.

The Swift result.

Just click on their pilot number to download their tracklog for that day.

Discuss SCFR IGC at the Oz Report forum   link»

Kitty Hawk Kites Spring Spectacular

(This topic is in: May 5 Mar.20'07 )

A repeat of last year's article.

Http://www.hangglidingspectacular.com/

The Hang Gliding Spectacular and Air Games is a true example of what hang gliding is all about, fun!  Originally named the 1st Annual Tactile Meet, the Spectacular has endured over 30 years of continuous years of fun flying, good times and the creation of life long friends.  The competition is scheduled each year during the third week of May.  Over 60 competitors from all over will travel to Kitty Hawk Kites on the Outer Banks of coastal North Carolina to fly, party and meet old and new friends!  Click on Photo Galleries to see all the action!

Http://khkalumni.com/KHKAlumni/Home.html

Discuss KHK at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sailplane competition flying

Learning something from the mother ships (Crater Lake, OR)

William Jacques <mysticwizard> writes:

Check out this guy's instructions (especially the one labeled "Crater Lake Flight".  Seems to me to be good stuff re soaring strategy.

Http://hdsoaring.blogspot.com/

Discuss Sailplanes at the Oz Report forum   link»

XC Skies - Cross country potential

(This topic is in: May 5 May 1 )

An evaluation tool for cross country potential (Francisco Grande, Casa Grande, Arizona)

http://ozreport.com/weather.php

XC Skies.

XC Potential

This parameter attempts to identify the locations where cross country is possible based upon a comparison of four different criteria.  They are the following:

1.  Red.  Buoyancy/Shear is greater than 6, average wind speed within the boundary layer (ground through thermal tops) is 10 MPH or less, thermal velocities are greater than 490 feet per minute (2.5 M/S), and the top of the usable lift is greater than 2,000 ft.  Above the ground.

2.  Orange.  Buoyancy/Shear is greater than 4, average wind speed within the boundary layer (ground through thermal tops) is 14 MPH or less, thermal velocities are greater than 490 feet per minute (2.5 M/S), and the top of the usable lift is greater than 2,000 ft.  Above the ground.

3.  Blue.  Buoyancy/Shear is greater than 4, average wind speed within the boundary layer (ground through thermal tops) is 18 MPH or less, thermal velocities are greater than 490 feet per minute (2.5 M/S), and the top of the usable lift is greater than 2,000 ft.  Above the ground.

The attempt to characterize good cross country areas is of course subject to interpretation.  One pilot's concept of good cross country conditions is not necessarily the criteria for another's.  Nevertheless, this parameter gives a quick review of regions where wind speed is low enough to not break apart thermals, and where that wind is not too strong.  For those who are after huge cross country distance, this parameter will likely not identify those regions due to a search criteria of relatively light winds aloft areas.

Discuss XC Skies at the Oz Report forum   link»

East Coast Championships

(This topic is in: <- Jun.2 May 5 Jun.11'07 Jun.7'07 Jun.6'07 --> )

A great place for the family (Highland Aerosports, Maryland)

http://ozreport.com/12.085#2

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/travel/escapes/02american.html?hp

Slide show

This is the Eastern Shore of Virginia, the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, two skinny counties strung between Maryland’s own Eastern Shore and the Bridge-Tunnel.  It’s only 65 miles long and no more than 10 miles at its widest.  But time is its most elemental dimension: time for nature and wildlife to reclaim island after island, time for one economy to wither and another to grow, time for beaches to form, fill with shells, then vanish.

The islands are basically sandbars, some of which have developed forested uplands.  Few signs of human habitation remain — there are no ghost towns — but their attraction remains strong not only for their beaches and wildlife but also for studies on how barrier islands and their beaches move, replenish, erode and otherwise do what they do when they aren’t lined with condo towers, boardwalks and artificial jetties.

Kayaks are a good way to explore, and Cedar Island is a frequent destination for tours...

Discuss ECC at the Oz Report forum   link»

A good long ways

Get in the air and get going (Quest Air, Groveland, Florida, USA)

The challenge is now always out there.  The impossible distance, 283 miles (455 km) from Quest Air to almost South Carolina (would have been South Carolina if Chris Smith hadn't had it with driving).  The big flight from Jonny and Dustin.

http://ozreport.com/11.083

http://ozreport.com/11.084#3

The forecast called for southeast winds in central Florida with the winds turning to the southwest up by Georgia late in the afternoon.  Not a perfect forecast for a long flight, but a good one and well worth the try.

Belinda and I had just driven east from Casa Grande, Arizona and arrived at Quest Air on Friday afternoon.  We spent the rest of Friday cleaning up the Arizona dust that had soaked through our trailer.  It was great to be out on the grass, even though it was relatively dry here in Florida.  Belinda was not ready to drive one more day.  She was ready for a rest, as was I.

But the forecast was good and it looked like it wouldn't be that good for a long flight to the north for a week or so.  So I got up early and got the Wills Wing T2C 144 setup and washed down, getting rid of a bit more of that Arizona dust.  I had downloaded all the waypoints the night before, making sure I loaded a few extra ones to the north to keep me out of air space around Jacksonville and Savannah, if I got that far.

The cu's didn't show up too early which was okay by me as I still hadn't gathered up all the material needed for a long flight and I wasn't out to the launch area until 11 AM, about the same time that Jonny took off a year earlier.  Overhead the cu's were scrawny but enough to indicate where to search for the lift.

Joe hauled me up and I released at 2,000' AGL in a ten mph wind out of the south southeast.  There was a wispy nearby and soon I was able to find the light lift that would sustain me throughout the day.  Bo Hagewood launched soon after I left, but landed back at Quest.

It seems that you always get low at first heading out from here and I was down to 1,100' just north of Groveland, but there were plenty of places to land if needed and I held on to the lift that got me to 3,800'.  There were cu's ahead and around and the prospects were good for staying up.  I thought I was seeing cloud streets.

Although the clouds looked inviting, I just couldn't get up to cloud base, until I got north up the Turnpike and the day turned on.  I was cooking now, but I could see the cirrus above and thicker ahead, the sky was turning milky white above the cumulus clouds.  My dark glasses were now too dark.  From the Turnpike to almost Orange Lake I found good lift and raced between thermals.  I had a long ways to go.

Near Hawthorne the cu's got thinner, but were still plentiful.  There were trees every where beneath me, so I had to stay up and keep going to avoid poor landing areas.  Just before I got to the big prison near Starke 100 miles out I was back down to 1,300' over chicken houses.  The prison is situated in a large open area, so there were plenty of places to land near the highway and not behind any fences.  I just stayed in the 270 fpm I found over the chicken houses to over 5,500', the highest of the flight.  The wind was now out of the southwest.

The next turnpoint was at Macclenny just south of the Georgia border, and the farm land gives out up there, giving way to just forest plantations with areas of clear cut to land in.  I was soon low again and I went back up wind to an area that looked reasonably landable.  I was flying without my shoes, for the first time in a while, but that is not a good idea when flying over this part of Georgia, where the clear cut areas are full of slash piles.

Fortunately, I found lift over this somewhat landable area and that got me back up enough to make it to St.  George where it looked I was going to land again in a clear cut area.  I saw a nice grass field to the east and it looked like I could make it there.  As I crossed the St.  Mary's river back into Florida there was some fortunate lift, light, but enough to get me up again to find a better place to land.  I was 145 miles out.

The wind was out of the west now at ten mph and I was hoping to go north.  A few miles to the north the cu's stopped, the sky was completely white with thick mid level clouds.  The road Y-ed with a branch heading to the northeast.  There were trees every where.

Given the west wind I headed northeast.  I was no longer gaining any distance away from Quest.  When I found the next thermal the wind was out of the west northwest.  I saw a grass airport a few miles to the north and decided that it didn't make any sense to keep going north.

After landing at the airport at 150 miles out, I discovered that it was closed to General Aviation (due to problems with the runway, there were X's on the north and south aprons).  I had seen that there was fence all around it and the gates turned out to be locked.  Belinda found someone nearby who opened up the gate for us.

The flight.

It was a long drive home, after a six and a half hour flight.

Discuss Flying north at the Oz Report forum   link»