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topic: Ken Kinzie

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Our most recent 2022 Supporters/Subscribers

Sat, Mar 26 2022, 5:59:43 pm MDT

We so very much appreciate them

Ken Kinzie|supporters

https://OzReport.com/supporters.php

Duane House
Kenneth Kinzie
Michael Fitzgerald
Wings to Fly ltd

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2020 US Nationals Beginning to Fill Up

December 16, 2019, 7:53:24 EST

2020 US Nationals Beginning to Fill Up

Paradise Airports and Wilotree Nationals

US Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2020|Wilotree Park

We've already had 69 pilots sign up for the 2020 World Championships being held in April and that means it's going to be a successful competition with this number of pilots. We say the maximum that we can handle is 125, but we've never expected that many to show up. Pilots need to sign up by January 19th (you don't have to be on a National team to be in the Worlds) so the window is closing quickly on who are going to be coming to the Worlds.

https://airtribune.com/2020-world-championships/info/details__info

We're also putting on two Class 1 Open competitions in April at Wilotree Parks, one the week before the Worlds and one during it. (The Worlds are the combined Women's Worlds, Sport Class, Class 2 and Class 5 Worlds).

Once again last year these Spring open class competitions at Wilotree Park were very popular. Pilots love coming to fly in Florida in April enjoying the marvelous lifting thermals in pleasant air with mild temperatures, puffy little clouds, light winds and open fields. Pilots are signing up now for these competitions, despite the fact that they are not under the same tight time constraints that pilots who are signing up for the Worlds.

We are always under resource constraints (mainly the number of tugs that we can round up to get every one in the air), so it is always a good idea to register as early as possible and become confirmed as early as possible so that you can be assured that you are in the competition. There will be additional resource constraints during the Worlds for the Wilotree Nationals dictated by the fact they the Worlds ahs first claim on the resources and we can fit in open class pilots only after their needs are taken into account. The World's pilots launch first, for example.

At the moment, we can handle all six competitions and we'll see what the future holds. We hope to be able to accommodate open class pilots in both the Paradise Airsports Nationals and the Wilotree Nationals. For sure there is no issue with the Paradise Airsports. It is a bit iffier for the Wilotree Nationals, so you might want to sign up early to reserve your spot (need to be confirmed). We'll keep you informed.

https://airtribune.com/2020-paradise-airsports-nationals/info/details__info

https://airtribune.com/2020-wilotree-nationals/info/details__info

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

November 5, 2019, 8:16:32 PST

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

First 100 kilometer cross country flight

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|PG|record|USHPA

https://issuu.com/us_hang_gliding_paragliding/docs/ushpapilot1904_issu_68d23770c1b65a/52

On March 24, 2019 I flew my first 100-kilometer XC flight. It was a big day for me as a developing pilot, with personal records set and many lessons learned. Fortunately, none of the lessons were the kind that lead to unwanted landings in strange fields or send you to Urgent Care. It was a very good day.

I began entering competitions in 2018, starting In March with the Green Swamp Sport Klassic. The Green Swamp is a sport-class competition that matches intermediate pilots with mentors who coach them through a week of cross-country flying in a competition environment. As an Oregon Hang-3 pilot flying some fairly tricky local sites, I was at the frustrating cusp where I didn’t have the thermaling skills to get high enough and far enough to find more thermals and improve my thermaling and XC skills. The Green Swamp looked like the perfect crucible to move my game up a notch.

Green Swamp 2018 was great. I had my first out-landings (disregarding landing on the wrong beach in 2006). I flew 40 km on my best day. I never made goal. With the encouragement of other pilots and bolstered by great experiences, I proceeded to compete in sport-class competitions in Texas, Arizona, and Mexico. “Compete” is a strong word, as I never made goal and always finished in the bottom 25%. With my intermediate XC skills, I thought of myself as more of a “participant.”

March of 2019 found me back in Florida for my second Green Swamp. Not wanting to ship my glider across the country again, I purchased a new Moyes Gecko to fly and store in Florida. Saturday I took two short test flights on my new glider, which went very smoothly.

Discuss "2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic" at the Oz Report forum   link»

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Tue, Aug 20 2019, 6:16:31 am MDT

Personal bests

cart|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Mitch Shipley|US Nationals 2019

"Eduardo Fonseca" «fonseca414» writes:

Here is a quick summary of the comp after my last goal on task 3:

Task 4: Did not fly, too gusty for my comfort level
Task 5: Good tow, but didn’t get to leave the start cylinder
Task 6: Could have been a better tow, got just outside the start cylinder
Task 7: Great tow, great climbs, made goal.

Now, here are the details:

Task 4:
It was gusty, beyond my comfort level. I decided not to fly that day. Perhaps a good decision given that the treachery of the wind that day cause pilots to have two broken downtubes and a carbon speedbar. Most people didn’t make goal, and I feel I made the right decision.

Task 5:
Had the best tow to date. After so much mentoring and feedback I wanted to stick in the cart longer. As Mitch Shipley had mentioned, during Big Spring air pilots need to stick to the cart longer. There is the tendency to leave the cart once we are “lifted” by the prop wash, but there is not enough airspeed at that time to properly maneuver the glider. Thus, pilots need to ride out the prop wash, and then hold on to the hoses to the point that the keel of the glider lifts off the cart. So I did, and the takeoff was so much better. Mick had also given recommendation on how to move the body, relax the knees, and control the glider. This tow was so great thanks to being able to apply all the teachings we had received during the comp. During flight it was not easy to find lift and ended short of leaving the start cylinder. Great approach and landing, which seem to come more naturally now. However, I cannot let my guard down (stay tuned for task 7).

Task 6:
It is important to be consistent, which I did not fully apply on takeoff. After the prop wash I left too early, with just enough airspeed to leave the cart. However, I felt the harness graze the cart. Thus, not the best takeoff and need to stay in the cart even longer. The task was a 110 km flight, but just like the prior day, could not find good lift. This flight taught me the importance of always looking for a landing field, and how easy one can end up getting in trouble. Trying to find lift kept me moving towards a not-so-easy-to-land area and going to an open field was out of the question due to distance. There were two options, freak out or stay calm and deal with the situation. Thankfully, I have experience dealing with stressful and difficult situations that require quick action, so the same methodology from work was applied to the landing strategy. Given the wind direction and landing limitations, I was able to land the glider on a pipeline path that was in very similar direction as the wind. Good landing and not very difficult drive for the retrieval team.

Task 7:
Last day of the competition. 38 km NE downwind. I kept telling myself that just being able to fly is great. But how great it would be to make goal once again. We just have to wait and feel the air.

Another great tow, this time staying as long as I could on the cart. Plenty of speed for control and contingencies. Being towed by Mick, I just felt so confident staying in line and dealing with the bumpy air. Just a great tow.

Waved off in nice smooth lift. I was not sure if it just was weak lift or I lacked thermaling skills, but I could see Mynor from Guatemala just a few miles upwind going up like a rocket. I could try to fly that direction, or stay where I was. I decided to stay with my current little climb (at least I was going up). The only way I could even possibly make goal in my opinion was to capitalize on any lift I could find. Thus, I kept working the lift. I took the time to refine my thermaling skills. As I circled, I thought of the direction of the wind, the path of the glider, and how to adjust the turning radius upwind and downwind to make the climb as efficient as possible.

After 6500 ft MSL I did not look at the vario at all, I just managed the turns and listened to the beeps. After a while, I looked again and for the first time in my life I was above 10,000 ft. It didn’t really feel like it, but there I was. “I might have a chance,” I thought. I did not care if I arrived last, I just wanted to get there.

I got as high as 10,900 ft, and when I could not climb anymore, I set the VG full and went on course. Getting lower again at 6000 ft, I reduced speed and little VG in case another thermal showed up. And there it was.

Climbing once again, I prepared myself for the final stretch, taking note of distance to goal, required glide ratio (compared with current glide ratio), as well as time left on the task. It was 5:15 pm and the task would be stopped at 6:00 pm. Thus, it was time to leave the climb, set full VG, stretch my body and tuck my arms in to minimize pressure drag, and stuff the bar in.

After a couple of minutes, I was at goal. I got to goal at around 6000 ft. So happy to make goal once again.

I felt I could have gone for another 60 km, but the day had to end early due to clos9ng ceremonies. So it was time to land. Thankfully at 6000 ft there are so many options, and I picked a field in which two other pilots had landed (Pete and Max).

What’s funny about this moment for me is that as I tried to go down, lift was happening… where have you been all my life. So I stuffed the bar in, and eventually got low enough to make the final approach. Max and Pete gave me the wind direction. As I went down, I could see Max gesturing to add speed, and I was trying (he would later tell me to just keep a hand of the upright and another on the speedbar). Essentially, need to increase my airspeed, period.

Ground effect coming in, and then time to flare. There was more wind than what I had experienced the other days of the comp, so when time to flare came, up the glider went. Not so much, but it is one of those moments in which some people might think of pulling in, but instead I stretched my arms even more and waited for physics to happen. Landed on my feet, safe on the ground and with a great smile.

This was a great way to end an amazing week of hang gliding. I had dreamed of flying in Big Spring since the the Oz Report started talking about it back in 2002. Now, I have become a part of it.

As Mick has mentioned in prior occasions, the experience gained in competition flying substantially surpasses recreational flying. Not for the competitiveness, but for the learning potential. Here are some of my statistics to show you how valuable competitions can be for pilot development:

- Number of flights: 7
- Max altitude: 10,900 ft
- Max thermal climb: 5055 ft
- Number of tasks flown: 6 out of 7
- Number of tasks completed (reached goal): 2 out of 6
- Total flight time: 7 hours 14 minutes
- Longest flight: 2 hours 18 minutes
- Total distance: 131.6 km
- Max distance in a single flight: 41.8 km

Being in Big Spring has been a tremendous learning experience that far exceeded my expectations and made me a better pilot. Of course there is room for improvement, and I hope that the 2020 Big Spring comp is just as exciting and educational.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 19, 2019, 7:04:44 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

The podiums

competition|Facebook|photo|US Nationals 2019

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Open Class:

Sport Class:

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 18, 2019, 6:39:56 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Seven days, seven tasks

Belinda Boulter|CIVL|competition|Davis Straub|dust devil|Erick Salgado|Facebook|Gary Anderson|Kevin Carter|Mike Degtoff|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

The pilots made it clear that they wanted the awards ceremony and meal on Saturday night, the last day of the competition and not on Sunday morning at brunch. That meant we had to have a shorter task or a task that brought us back to Big Spring on Saturday. With a 12 mph forecasted southwest wind, that meant a small triangle for the open class and a short downwind task for the sport class.

Today's task and flight:

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Task 7:

# Name Nat Glider Time Total
1 Rodolfo Gotes MEX Wills Wing T3 144 01:58:23 764
2 Willy Dydo USA Wills Wing T2C 136 02:25:16 724
3 Nathan Wreyford USA Wills Wing T2C 144 02:10:32 666
4 Erick Salgado MEX Moyes RX 5 Pro 02:13:51 663
5 Davis Straub USA Wills Wing T3 144 02:18:10 649
6 Bruce Barmakian USA Aeros Combat 12.7 02:29:35 58

Final Results:

# Name Nat Glider Total
1 Rodolfo Gotes MEX Wills Wing T3 144 5301
2 Erick Salgado MEX Moyes RX 5 Pro 5200
3 Bruce Barmakian USA Aeros Combat 12.7 4690
4 Willy Dydo USA Wills Wing T2C 136 4258
5 Davis Straub USA Wills Wing T3 144 4068
6 Kevin Carter USA Wills Wing T3 3919
7 Vic Hare AUS Wills Wing T3 144 3889
8 Nathan Wreyford USA Wills Wing T2C 144 3705
9 Rich Reinauer USA Wills Wing T2C 144 2510
10 Gary Anderson USA Wills Wing T2C 144 2409

Sport Class:

Erick R. Lopez won the last task with Ric Caylor second and Anibal Lemus third. Eight pilots made goal with the winner there in 33 minutes (it was a short task).

Jose Sandoval only went eight kilometers, but that didn't stop him from winning overall. Four Guatemalans in the top five.

Swift Class:

Chris won the task again by three minutes and won the meet overall.

The sky was still blue at 1 PM. The temperatures here were about 10 degrees warmer than what we have experienced in the past (104 Vs. 95). The sky has been blue instead of full of cu's reliably appearing at 1 PM. We've also not had good lift conditions until around 2 PM. There has been at least a slight inversion at 1 PM this year.

Three pilots launched at about 1:15 PM and two stayed up but didn't get high. I launched right after we saw them thermaling, and climbed to 5,200' but no higher and then lost the thermal and landed as did Willie Dydo, one of the three The wind was seventeen mph out of the south.

After a new bottle of water I went again at about 2:20 PM and now the lift was there and sustained. I went right up after the Swifts and circled with them over the airport. I circled up to about 8,000' drifting just outside the start cylinder and then went back and tagged it for the fourth start time at 2:45 PM. I was averaging a little over 200 fpm.

I almost took the 2:30 PM clock but decided to stay near or inside the start cylinder by heading back upwind against the seventeen mph wind, to just get the fourth start clock. The Swifts went with me. About six minutes later Erick and Bruce left the start cylinder late, but I was basically on my own. Rudy would take the 3 PM clock.

Five kilometers out I found almost 500 fpm to 8,300' which told me that the day was truly on. There were no cu's in the vicinity though. This can also be a sign that you'd better be careful if you think that all the lift is going to be this good.

That thermal got me to the turnpoint at a little over 7,000' Turning to the southwest, my tail wind turned into a cross head wind of ten mph. I flew almost six kilometers before I found lift down at 4,200'.

I was low and the lift was weak at 220 fpm and I could only climb to 5,800' losing distance all along drifting to the north. I pushed to the south directly into the wind getting south of the course line before once again starting from 4,200' I climbed at 300 fpm to 7,900' but north and east (downwind of the course line and back up the course line) so I had to cover the same ground again.

Heading southwest then south passing under the first cu's, which when they did not have any lift that, I continued to another cu to the south where I found 150 fpm and was heading backwards once again. I moved east a kilometer from 5,400' and worked slightly better lift until I was seeing 1000 fpm on the twenty second averager. I climbed at 400 fpm on average to 9,700'.

There was a large area of uncultivated flat lands to my southwest and toward the second turnpoint. The wind was between eleven and eighteen mph out of the south. A cu formed over me as I climbed and there were now scattered cu's out in front. I was high enough to get over the less friendly area and flew thirteen kilometers to get to the next lift three kilometers from the turnpoint. As I flew toward the turnpoint, I kept seeing wisps of cu's forming to my southwest but they disappeared before I could get to them.

When I found that thermal it took me to 8,000' at over 400 fpm. It was easy to get the turnpoint despite the 13 mph south wind.

Turning east south east twenty two kilometers from goal it looked like there were cu's ahead. Then I spotted Eric and Rudy turning and flew the four kilometers past the turnpoint to them getting down to 4,500'.

The lift was very strong, sometimes at 700 fpm and averaged 540 fpm. Though Erick and Rudy started out about 3,000' over my head I quickly gain most of that altitude up to them flying in the same thermal which was much stronger down below them. I climbed to 9,500' which gave me a 10:1 glide ratio to goal. Rudy and Erick took off about 500' above me and I went with them.

There was a ten mph cross wind going to goal. At first I was all going well and I wasn't losing much altitude, then things changed and I was losing consistently 800 fpm. My required glide was down to 7.5:1 but I was getting 6.5:1. I stopped for a dust devil and a cu above it at seven kilometers out to be sure that I had enough altitude to make it. I came in five minutes behind Rudy and Erick.

It was an incredible competition with great conditions, just what we expect from Big Spring. We held it a week later than normal, and they had rain after four months of no rain. Next year we go back to the first week of August. The only reason we held it when we did was because we wanted to have two weeks between the Worlds and our meet. That was a useless gesture which we won't ever repeat.

The task and safety committees performed brilliantly and made the competitions with their great calls. Mitch was the best CIVL meet steward we have ever experienced, by far. Belinda was a fantastic meet director and very much in charge and worked well with Mitch. Kate Griffin was a fantastic scorekeeper and tracker wrangler. She is very experienced now (Brett Janaway keeps updating the procedures so it is a task just to know what is going on.) Thor was a very calming presence as the launch director and Mike Degtoff was a great second in command at the launch. The tug pilots, Mick, Bobby, and Jim were spot on and their little cooperative of tug pilots is working great.

Thanks so much for all the help from the Big Spring Community. We could not pull this off without their tremendous support - water and free ice cream included. Thanks to all the sponsors for their prizes.

Photo by Mike Degtoff.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 16, 2019, 10:58:53 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Another incredible call from the Safety Committee

Chris Zimmerman|competition|Davis Straub|Erick Salgado|Gary Anderson|Kevin Carter|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Tom McGowan|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

Today's task and flight:

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Big Spring to Lamesa to Town, 145 kilometers.

Task 6:

# Name Nat Glider Time Total
1 Erick Salgado MEX Moyes RX 5 Pro 02:31:00 776
2 Rodolfo Gotes MEX Wills Wing T3 144 02:25:57 765
3 Kevin Carter USA Wills Wing T3 02:33:31 684
4 Davis Straub USA Wills Wing T3 144 02:34:23 671
5 Vic Hare AUS Wills Wing T3 144 02:38:30 642
6 Willy Dydo USA Wills Wing T2C 136 02:39:37 625

Cumulative:

# Name Nat Glider Total
1 Erick Salgado MEX Moyes RX 5 Pro 4537
1 Rodolfo Gotes MEX Wills Wing T3 144 4537
3 Bruce Barmakian USA Aeros Combat 12.7 4103
4 Vic Hare AUS Wills Wing T3 144 3609
5 Kevin Carter USA Wills Wing T3 144 3542
6 Willy Dydo USA Wills Wing T2C 136 3534
7 Davis Straub USA Wills Wing T3 144 3419
8 Nathan Wreyford USA Wills Wing T2C 144 3039
9 Rich Reinauer USA Wills Wing T2C 144 2225
10 Gary Anderson USA Wills Wing T2C 144 2191

Open class:

The open class task was stopped at 5:46 PM and scored stopped at 5:31 PM. Seven pilots had already made goal. (Tom McGowan also made goal right after me but was scored incorrectly.)

Sport class:

Stopped at 5:40 PM and scored at 5:25 PM, Jose Sandoval was in the lead when the task was stopped. No one made goal. There was over-development to the west which got close to or came over the course line.

Swift Class:

Chris Zimmerman won the day.

With a forecast for strong lift, cu's, cloud base at 13,500' and 10-13 mph southwest winds we called cross wind tasks to the north. But when we launched at 1 PM it was not happening at all and almost everyone landed and went for a reflight.

When I relaunched at about 2 PM things were much different and I climbed up to 8,500'. I've been adding more layers each day after only two layers on Wednesday (which was very comfortable) with four moderate layers today with the forecast for 37 degrees at 13,500' cloud base later in the day. I don't recall us ever getting that high here before.

There were plenty of cu's after 2 PM as there had been none at 1 PM. I took the last start clock at 2:30 PM, which was the popular start time as almost everyone had to launch late for the second time.

I headed for a fat cu to the north northwest fourteen kilometers and found little lift there. It was all blue ahead so I wanted to get up from 2,200' AGL and I left 160 fpm at 6,000' heading into the blue after a disappointing climb.

Of course, there was good lift right out in the blue and I found 300 fpm to 7,900' and then 400 fpm to 8,900'. It wasn't 13,500' but it was getting up there. The wind had started out at 10 mph out of the south southeast and was now 10 mph out of the south.

I had enough altitude to find the next bit of reasonable lift at twenty two kilometers to the north northwest. I was heading for the ten kilometer cylinder around Lamesa. I headed for an isolated small cu over the canyon area that looked like it was feeding off the gullies. The sink increased dramatically as I approached the spot that I thought looked like the origin of the thermal, and that assured me that there was a good thermal there. I took 250 fpm to 7,200' from 4,500'.

With more cu's ahead I was able to climb to 8,200' at 430 fpm just before the turnpoint cylinder edge. I pushed to the west to get the cylinder and get myself lined up for a cloud street to the north. The wind was averaging thirteen mph out of the south southeast.

The cloud street was working and I was able to climb at 300 fpm and then 330 fpm and then flying straight and climbing to 9,200'. I still had not climbed high and felt the icy cold winds. Speaking of winds, the winds were now eighteen mph out of the south southwest.

For the first time I noticed the over-development and shading from the west. There was rain about fifteen miles away. I wanted to go fast to get north of the rain if possible.

Twenty seven kilometers north of the turnpoint at Lamesa I found a strong thermal at 7,600' It averaged over 500 fpm and I took it to 12,400'. It was cool up there. I was forty three kilometers from goal and had goal at 14:1 with a seventeen mph tail wind. I went on final glide.

During the final glide it showed I had about 2,300' above best glide. That value changed very little no matter how fast I flew nor how much sink or lift I encountered. I was racing the storm to the west which was producing more rain but wasn't effecting goal as yet. Mitch Shipley was at goal and he was saying it was level 1. Tom McGowan and I on the Safety Committee were flying near each other and agreed.

As I got within five kilometers of goal I no longer was losing any altitude even with the bar stuffed.

When I go to goal it was shaded as was the last five kilometers and I found nothing but lift. I had to fly to the east five kilometers to finally find some sink and get down. I assume that it was being affected by the over-development to the west.

The over-development affected the Sport Class goal much more strongly as it built to the south of our goal. Their task was stopped a few minutes earlier than ours was.

The task committee had originally set a task to Levelland to the west of the Town goal. That would have put us right through the over-development. The safety committee moved the task based on the forecast.

So far three days in a row affected by thunderstorms. The task and safety committees have been brilliant in task calling, keeping us safe but with fun tasks. The conditions here have been excellent as well as exciting. All the pilots are enjoying themselves immensely. It was great getting so high today. It was great flying the last forty three kilometers in less than half an hour.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 15, 2019, 7:46:27 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Setting the best task that the weather forecast allows

Chris Zimmerman|competition|Davis Straub|dust devil|Erick Salgado|Flytec 6030|Gary Anderson|Kevin Carter|Roger Irby|US Nationals 2019|weather|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

Today's task and flight:

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Task 5:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 01:55:47 960
2 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 01:55:57 882
3 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 02:13:02 841
4 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 02:00:22 821
5 Willy Dydo Wills Wing T2C 136 02:08:10 746
6 Nathan Wreyford Wills Wing T2C 144 02:24:56 667
7 Rich Reinauer Wills Wing T2C 144 02:47:42 589
8 Vic Hare Wills Wing T3 144 02:34:51 559
9 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 02:37:59 544
10 Gary Anderson Wills Wing T2C 144 02:44:33 533

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 3904
2 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 3772
3 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 3761
4 Vic Hare Wills Wing T3 144 2967
5 Willy Dydo Wills Wing T2C 136 2909
6 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 2858
7 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 2748
8 Nathan Wreyford Wills Wing T2C 144 2617
9 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 2041
10 Gary Anderson Wills Wing T2C 144 1882

Sport Class:

Five pilots made it back to Big Spring with Peter Wall winning the day. Jose Sandoval is in the lead over all.

Swift Class:

They made a task to the south. Chris Zimmerman won the day and leads overall.

The weather forecast was for over development in all directions after 4 PM. So we decided on short tasks with early starts.

There were cu's to the west and east of the airport very early and there were too many cu's to the north with cu-nimbs to the west and north at Lamesa which almost stopped the task at 12:30PM (we launched at 12:15). Mitch was on the radio to the safety committee and we said level 2 and 2.5. We were south of the airfield and in good conditions climbing to 7,400', so we said it was level 1 where we were. We were just concerned about the conditions to the north.

As we were six or seven kilometers from the top of the five kilometer start cylinder I flew up to the north at four minutes before the first start time but found weak lift down to 4,500'. I hung in it with a couple of other pilots trying just to stay up.

We stayed in the poor lift for almost half an hour until, just before the last (third) start time, the lift we were in finally turned on and we were able to climb up to 6,000' before going on glide and finding a good thermal to 7.400', nine kilometers to the north. There were no cu's near us.

The winds were light which is why we called a triangle task for the open class and an out and return task for the sport class. The towering cu's to the north dissipated and there was plenty of sun shine on the ground. It no longer was a level 2.

I was leading out in front of the other two pilots which seemed easy to do. We found 200 - 300 fpm average climbs and hooked up with Rudy for a few climbs south the the first turnpoint. The lift was improving as the day went on. We had taken the last clock at 1:45 PM.

I found a nice dust devil just before the first turnpoint where I had seen Rudy turning a bit earlier under a cu and I climbed to 7,700'. There was a much bigger dusty to the east by the second turnpoint which Rudy got into. Before I got to that dust devil I found a thermal under a small cu that averaged 425 fpm so I took it to almost 9,000'.

As I headed south on my own I could see the over development further to the west. The rest of the sky was inviting. I found a forming cu out in the blue and climbed at 380 fpm average to 9,300'. The 6030 said I had goal but it was 12:1 to get there from twenty five kilometers out so I didn't exactly believe that.

The outflow from the top of the over development was partially shading the ground between me and goal. I could see a nice little cu about half way to goal, but off the course line a couple of kilometers. I felt that there was a good chance of finding lift just going down the course line in spite of the partially shaded ground.

At thirteen kilometers from goal I found 440 fpm and took it to 7,500' with an 8:1 required glide.

I came into goal with 600' AGL and landed. The wind was light out of the west toward the over development.

The over development continued to grow and come toward us but all the pilots who made goal made it in with incident. It was just shaded and there were no thunderstorms near us.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 14, 2019, 9:21:51 pm MDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

East northeast wind with low top of lift

competition|Davis Straub|Erick Salgado|Gary Anderson|Kevin Carter|Roger Irby|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

Today's task and flight:

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Task 4:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 03:26:40 118.09 534
2 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 03:52:45 118.09 458
3 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 03:57:58 118.09 418
4 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144   44.46 235
5 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3   29.02 188
6 Willy Dydo Wills Wing T2C 136   15.77 132

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 2860
2 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 2844
3 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 2816
4 Vic Hare Wills Wing T3 144 2421
5 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 2297
6 Willy Dydo Wills Wing T2C 136 2153
7 Nathan Wreyford Wills Wing T2C 144 1963
8 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 1904
9 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 1749
10 Gary Anderson Wills Wing T2C 144 1362

Sport Class:

Jose Sandoval Sandoval was the only one to make goal at 48T. He continues to lead the sport class.

Swift Class:

Didn't fly.

The forecast was for an east northeast wind, lighter than the previous day. With a huge downpour and flash flooding around Big Spring on Tuesday night we figured the lift around the airport to be very poor. That proved to be the case.

The wind was sixteen mph northeast just south west of the airport so that made things even worse. Our task was to the west northwest given the forecast for lighter and east northeast winds.

I was circling with Bruce and Kevin as we climbed at 170 fpm. That thermal got us to the edge of the start cylinder just in time for the first clock at 3 PM. We joined up with Roger Irby and Rudy Gotes and climbed to 6,800' just outside the start cylinder.

After a short weak climb we headed north northwest to try to get on the upwind side of some shallow lakes. Roger Irby landed and Bruce and Kevin thermaled downwind of the lakes. I pushed further up wind and found better lift at 345 fpm and after a while they came and joined me. We lost track of Rudy.

We climbed back to 6,800' and headed again to the north northwest cross wind in order to go toward the turnpoint at 48T. We stayed above 5,600' climbing to almost 6,000' and hooked up with Rudy. I was able to find lift by pushing up wind to the northeast when after I felt any lift.

The lift gave out for a while and down to 800' I found lift near a very strong gas flare. Rudy came back to join me and Kevin landed. Bruce was behind us and climbing. We were only able to get to 5,600'.

There were now little cu's popping along our cross wind course line so we could fly to them. I found the next thermal and Rudy joined me but it was only 100 fpm. We had lost Bruce who was high and behind us. We only climbed to 5,700'.

Rudy stayed back as I raced to get under the next thin cu, but got low and had to work it back up to 5,300'. The lift was broken up near the top so I went for a cu just forming up wind of us. It didn't work and I soon landed.

Rudy and Bruce were able to make it around to goal with Erick coming later.

I should have been more conservative and not tried to chase cu's. The lift down low was broken and ratty.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 13, 2019, 11:54:10 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Dealing with the forecast for no lift later to the south

Chris Zimmerman|competition|Davis Straub|dust devil|Erick Salgado|Gary Anderson|Greg Chastain|Kevin Carter|Roger Irby|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

Today's task and flight:

Today's forecast for lift at 5 PM:

The task committee set a task with a eighteen kilometer radius around the airfield at Rankin so that we didn't have to go over a territory full of pump jacks (oil wells) to get to the airfield. It also helped that it kept us away from the likely over development.

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Task 3:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 01:41:50 874
2 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 02:05:34 777
3 Vic Hare Wills Wing T3 144 02:05:22 776
4 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 02:07:18 742
5 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 02:03:44 631
6 Rich Reinauer Wills Wing T2C 144 02:11:01 628
7 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 02:23:03 624
8 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 02:32:55 566
9 Gary Anderson Wills Wing T2C 144 02:36:34 544
10 David Proctor Wills Wing T2C 154 02:40:47 481

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 2442
2 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 2358
3 Vic Hare Wills Wing T3 144 2335
4 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 2310
5 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 2109
6 Willy Dydo Wills Wing T2C 136 2021
7 Nathan Wreyford Wills Wing T2C 144 1877
8 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 1669
9 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 1663
10 Gary Anderson Wills Wing T2C 144 1276

Sport Class:

Six pilots in goal with Jose Sandoval winning the day. Jose is now back in first place overall.

Swift Class:

Greg Chastain landed short and now Chris Zimmerman is in first place after making it back to the airport.

With an unusual north northeast wind at launch we launched from the south part of the taxi way. There were no cu's around at first at 1:30 PM. There was good lift just southwest of the airport and I was able to get to 7,400' with half a dozen other pilots. When that lift ran out twenty three minutes before the start window opened I headed back toward the airport and then north to a cu when I didn't see anyone climbing near the airport.

The cu quickly disappeared and I chased a remnant of a dust devil further west to hook up with what remained of it after it disappeared also. That set me up alone north of the course line at a little less than 7,000' for the 2:30 PM start.

To the south the area of forecasted zero lift was already filling up with cu's. There were a few wispies along our course line. The forecast said that we wouldn't get too high, maybe to 8,000'.

I found a couple of good climbs but twenty kilometers out from the edge of the twelve kilometer start cylinder I was down to about 1,000' AGL. I was able to work 250 fpm back to over 6,000'.

There had started to be a few scattered good looking cu's about so it was easier to find the lift. Lots of cu's starting and disappearing quickly.

I kept an eye on the vast area to the south where the thick cu's were forming. They were far enough away that I couldn't see their shadows. They did not look dangerous. There seemed to be a limit on how high they went.

I found a nice set of cu's and was able to climb to 9,200' under the dark bottoms. They were still pretty small. I continued to stay northwest of the course line.

The wind changed from lighter northeast to stronger east northeast. This pushed me further to the west of the course line. I also was following the cu's which were more to the west of the line.

There was a mix of possible landing areas and lots of areas with not such great landing opportunities below. I had already been low so I didn't want to do that again.

Twenty kilometers out from the goal cylinder I chased after some little forming cu's and when those didn't work I flew to the area where I had seen a dust devil when I was a few kilometers to the north. Down to 900' AGL I found that there was good lift under some forming cu's that got me back to 6,000' which was enough to get over a large patch of unlandable area and to goal over a super big cultivated field.

I landed with the areas in shade further to the south but plenty of sunshine where I was. It looks like the task committee called a good task given the conditions.

The thunderstorm did hit Big Spring around 8:30 PM with flash flooding.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 12, 2019, 11:37:18 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Air sick

Bobby Bailey|Tom McGowan|US Nationals 2019

We take a bit later launch than originally planned as the pilot meeting drags on a bit so the launch is at 1:30 PM (half an hour before Sunday) and the start window at 2:30 PM. After all the relights on Sunday pilots are a bit reluctant to go right away, but we see the first few sticking so the open class pilots are all off in half an hour.

The cu's do start late with a few at 1:30 but more at 2 PM. Bobby Bailey tows me up and before we get to the end of the taxi way to the south he's bank up and I hang on as best I can. I  go around with him twice and then pin off at 1,700' AGL. I work that thermal with lots of pilots coming over to join me to over 10,000'.

It's still a few minutes before the start window so we mush around in light sink before heading out at 2:30 PM at about 9,400'. The wind is averaging 7 mph out of the south west. Our turnpoint is to the northeast. There is a big turnpoint radius around Fish at eighteen kilometers and then the course goes north to Jayton airfield.

About eight of us start off together high and head up the highway toward Snyder to the east north east. The optimized course line will take us right over town and right over the sport class goal. We climb to 10,600' nineteen kilometers from the edge of the start cylinder at almost 600 fpm.

After that I struggle with weak lift and not getting high for the next fifty kilometers as the wind turns from southwest to south at 16 - 18 mph.. Down to 5,000' I get too hot (too much clothing) and get nauseous. I check to see if it is heat stroke or air sickness, but I'm still sweating so it's air sickness. I keep flying as it is not overwhelming as it has been two other times.

I climb to 9,400' just before Snyder over the airfield that is the sport class goal. East of Snyder the land mass changes from open fields to canyon lands. I have to go cross wind to get to the turnpoint eighteen kilometers from Fish. I find another thermal twenty two kilometers out from Snyder at 400 fpm to 8,500' but then it all gets worse as I continue to fight with the air sickness.

I'm six kilometers north of the optimized course line and  work my way south southeast to get back toward the optimized waypoint on the eighteen kilometer radius turnpoint. I'm soon down to 2,000' AGL working weak lift and drifting to the north away from the optimized turnpoint. I go back south and back up the course line to try again and it doesn't get  any better. I'm over the canyon lands low with a few landing options that present difficult retrieves.

I was three kilometers from the turnpoint but low and not willing to go cross wind across unlandable area to go further east to get the cylinder. Taking lift I climb to over 6,000', still relatively low but now six kilometers from the turnpoint and it's upwind. All the lift I find under the fast moving cu's is weak.

I push again upwind to get under the best looking cu and there is nothing there. I'm drifting away from the turnpoint. There is no reason to continue and I'm ready to land as I feel pretty ill.

I land near a paved road and fortunately I can contact Tom McGowan who has landed near Snyder and is in the retrieve vehicle not far away. I curl up on the ground under my glider not having moved it since I landed and go to sleep. I can't stand up. Tom and Dave Proctor break down the glider for me as I rest in the air conditioned truck.

The field is full of stickers and our shoes are covered with them.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 12, 2019, 10:51:26 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Down and cross wind almost 100 miles

Chris Zimmerman|competition|Davis Straub|Erick Salgado|Gary Anderson|Greg Chastain|Kevin Carter|Roger Irby|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Task 2:

  Name Nat Glider Time Total
1 Erick Salgado MEX Moyes RX 5 Pro 02:39:00 974
2 Nathan Wreyford USA Wills Wing T2C 144 02:38:26 935
3 Rodolfo Gotes MEX Wills Wing T3 144 02:44:49 917
4 Willy Dydo USA Wills Wing T2C 136 02:44:17 901
5 Vic Hare AUS Wills Wing T3 144 03:00:00 783
6 Bruce Barmakian USA Aeros Combat 12.7 03:00:11 779
7 Kevin Carter USA Wills Wing T3 144 03:36:29 599

Cumulative:

# Name Nat Glider Total
1 Willy Dydo USA Wills Wing T2C 136 1824
2 Erick Salgado MEX Moyes RX 5 Pro 1700
3 Rodolfo Gotes MEX Wills Wing T3 144 1581
4 Vic Hare AUS Wills Wing T3 144 1559
5 Nathan Wreyford USA Wills Wing T2C 144 1525
6 Kevin Carter USA Wills Wing T3 1478
7 Bruce Barmakian USA Aeros Combat 12.7 1436
8 Davis Straub USA Wills Wing T3 144 1103
9 Roger Irby USA Wills Wing T2C 154 1039
10 Gary Anderson USA Wills Wing T2C 144 732

Sport Class:

Twelve out of fourteen made goal at 75.6 km with Max Conde winning the day.

Max Conde is in the lead overall with Jose Sandoval in second. Two Guatemalans.

Swift Class:

Chris Zimmerman and Greg Chastain. They are doing out and return tasks as they don't have a driver.

Greg has won both days.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Mon, Aug 12 2019, 6:23:37 am MDT

Sport Class to La Mesa

competition|US Nationals 2019

Four out of fourteen pilots made it in Sport Class seventy kilometers to the goal at the La Mesa airfield.

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

Jose Sandoval, Ric Caylor, Max Conde, and John Irlbeck.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 12, 2019, 6:19:07 MDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

We glide on up to Brownfield

Blue Sky|competition|Davis Straub|dust devil|Erick Salgado|Kevin Carter|Roger Irby|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Willy Dydo

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/results/task4325/day/open-class

Task 1:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Willy Dydo Wills Wing T2C 136 02:33:51 921
2 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 02:26:25 877
3 Vic Hare Wills Wing T3 144 02:35:14 772
4 Erick Salgado Moyes RX 5 Pro 02:56:44 721
5 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 02:49:29 682
6 Davis Straub Wills Wing T2C 144 03:03:35 662
7 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 03:07:10 659
8 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 03:08:43 651
9 Nathan Wreyford Wills Wing T2C 144 03:09:12 583

14 to 18 mph south southeast wind. A few cu's. The dry line was clearly visible to the west. Top of lift/cloudbase around 11,000'. A 2 PM launch and 3 PM start to get the better part of the day.

Mick Howard towed me three kilometers south toward the nearest cu due south of the taxi way. The area to the west of launch has proven to be a poor area for lift so I was happy to avoid it. The cu's had been popping since about 1:30 PM (half an hour before launch) on our east side, but we are restricted from going there because it crosses the main runway.

After I pinned off it was a continuous climb from about 4,000' (1,700' AGL) to almost 9,000' drifting seven kilometers to the north northwest in a 15 mph south southeast wind. The start cylinder had a six kilometer radius so given that Mick had towed me way to the south I had no issues staying inside it for the second start time.

North of the airport the cu's were mostly off to the east of the course line about ten kilometers and the first turnpoint was at the La Mesa airfield to the north northwest. While it was all blue ahead I headed in the direction of the turnpoint about five kilometers east of the optimized course line. The start cylinder is centered on a point five kilometers west of the Big Spring airport.

Despite the blue sky there was lift where there were no cu's. I even took a thermal over a gas flare of which there are many (not like years ago north of Big Spring). I was able to hook up with a sweet dust devil north of Ackerly averaging 460 fpm and called Dave Proctor over to join me.

There were towering cu's off to the west quite far aways, but just little wisps along our route. There were some haze domes north of La Mesa which marked 400 fpm lift and I could see ahead a large area of green cotton fields that indicated weaker lift.

I had to search around just south of the cotton fields to find 270 fpm. Bruce, Erick, and Dave came in under me as we all had the idea to get high here before venturing out into the less promising area. I couldn't get any one to go so I headed off by myself (which had been ture for all the flight so far) and it was thirteen kilometers before I found 200 fpm at less than 2,000' AGL (the land elevation was rising).

Kevin and Erick came in under me and we climbed back to 8,000' (5,000' AGL). Kevin had taken the clock after me and Erick the one before me. I couldn't get Kevin to leave so again I headed out on my own as we drifted close to the turnpoint at T-Bar.

There were cu's to the northwest which I had decided to go to before the turnpoint. It was all blue and cross wind to the goal to the west northwest at Brownfield airfield.

I misjudged the distance to the cu's and that took me north and downwind of the course line. Then, when I got to the cu's, they didn't work so I had to go hunting for lift in the blue anyway. I ended up twelve kilometers downwind of the course line working lift to get as high as possible to give me a chance to beat back upwind.

I worked to over 9,600' at 280 fpm and headed southwest knowing that it would take a bit more lift to make it in. Fortunately it was there eight kilometers out and I was able to make it in with plenty of altitude despite the 18 mph head wind.

Kevin went into the blue after the T-bar turnpoint and found lift along the course line going into goal. Willy Dydo took the first clock and grabbed all the extra points getting to goal twenty three minutes before Kevin.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 10, 2019, 11:00:10 pm CDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

The Welcome Dinner

Gary Osoba|US Nationals 2019

Photo by Gary Osoba.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

August 5, 2019, 5:13:50 pm MDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

It begins this weekend

US Nationals 2019

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/blog

https://www.livetrack360.com/livetracking/

https://lt.flymaster.net/

Get ready for following the 2019 Big Spring Nationals.

We'll put up the link to Flymaster Live Tracking this weekend when we set things up.

2019 Big Spring Nationals is on

Tue, Jul 2 2019, 6:57:01 am MDT

We've got enough pilots to keep the loses under control

Belinda Boulter|CIVL|US Nationals 2019

The tee-shirts are going to be donated. Belinda has come up with trophies. The CIVL costs will not be as high as we thought. We still will suffer substantial losses.

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/pilots

We look forward to having a great competition in Big Spring.

2019 Big Spring Nationals

June 20, 2019, 10:22:39 MDT

2019 Big Spring Nationals

Get confirmed by July 1st

Gregg "Kim" Ludwig|US Nationals 2019|Wilotree Park

I wrote to pilots:

We are very much looking forward to the Big Spring Nationals in August. We trust that you are also. It’s great that this year it will also be the test competition for the 2020 Pan-American Championships.

As you know we have to bring everything to Big Spring to run a championship. This includes the Dragonflies from Wilotree Park. Gregg Ludwig will already have his trike in Texas, even though he now lives in Florida.

As you can no doubt see from the aerotow fee, this is an expensive proposition and we need to know well in advance of the competition how many pilots are coming this year. As we have informed almost all of you previously, your status in the pilot registration needs to be marked “confirmed” in order for you to reserve a spot in the competition. The number of pilots with “confirmed” status will determine the number of tugs that we will have at Big Spring.

For example, if we have 50 “confirmed” pilots we will have a total of 5 tugs at Big Spring. We currently have 53 pilots registered and 13 “confirmed” pilots. You can see the pilot list here: https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/pilots.

The number of spots reserved on July 1st will determine how many tugs we will have at Big Spring. If we have only 13 pilots “confirmed,” as is the case now, Gregg might be the only tug pilot there.

So to make this competition a success we need your cooperation. If you are coming to the 2019 Big Spring Nationals you need to take the steps necessary to become “confirmed.” They are as follows, and as found here: https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/info/details__info:

1) Pay $250 entry fee here: http://ozreport.com/2019BigSpringpay.php

2) Sign waivers and medical information form: http://ozreport.com/onlinewaivers.php or: http://ozreport.com/waivers.php

Pilots not confirmed by July 1st will be so noted and only if there are spots available will they be allowed to enter the competition. Again, the number of spots available will be determined by the number of tugs that we have available at Big Spring and therefore by the number of pilots “confirmed” on July 1st..

If you are registered, but not coming to Big Spring we would very much appreciate hearing from you also so that we can delete your entry from the pilot list. In this case please email Davis at <davis> saying that you won’t be coming.

If everything goes to hell in a hand basket (i.e. the meet is canceled), you will receive a 100% refund.

Again, looking forward to having a great time as always in Big Spring. Hope to see you there.

2019 Nationals - week 1 long task

Mon, May 13 2019, 7:24:37 am MDT

Replay is now working.

US Nationals 2019

https://airtribune.com/play/3982/2d

https://OzReport.com/23.94#0

The cloud street is to the left (west) of the course line. Andrew Hollidge has found a wisp along the course line marking lift and keeping him on track to make the last turnpoint.

Carter and Gotes also stay along the course line and get high enough to make it into goal.

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/blog__day_5

2019 Big Spring Nationals and pre-Pan-Americans

Fri, May 3 2019, 8:04:56 am EDT

Get ready for the big fat air

Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|US Nationals 2019

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/info/details__info

This is a unique opportunity. This is the test event for the first Pan-American Championships (Class 1 open class). We are looking for pilots from Central and South American to join us and get a taste of that Big Spring air.

2019 Nationals

April 30, 2019, 9:38:36 EDT

2019 Nationals

Some of those who came to help run the competition

Facebook|US Nationals 2019

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 28, 2019, 3:25:20 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

Results for day 7, task 6

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Davis Straub|John Simon|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Phill Bloom|Raul Guerra|Tim Delaney|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/results

Task 6:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 03:00:56 993
2 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 03:00:36 989
3 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 03:01:12 987
4 Nene Rotor Wills Wing T3 144 03:01:13 985
5 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 03:02:08 971
6 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 03:01:58 970
7 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 03:02:28 969
8 Corinna Schwiegershausen Moyes RX 3 Pro 03:04:59 945
9 Giovani Tagliari Wills Wing T2C 154 03:05:28 943
10 Raul Guerra Aeros Combat C 12.7 03:47:06 758

Final:

# Name Glider Total
1 Nene Rotor Wills Wing T3 144 5614
2 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 5426
3 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 5266
4 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 5153
5 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 5005
6 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 4827
7 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 4635
8 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 4620
9 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 4430
10 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 4242
11 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 3956
12 Corinna Schwiegershausen Moyes RX 3 Pro 3911
13 Guilherme Sandoli WillsWing T2C 136 3875
14 Patrick Pannese Wills Wing T3 144 3770
15 Raul Guerra Aeros Combat C 12.7 3747

Sport Task 6:

# Name Glider Distance Total
1 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 48.36 900
2 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 44.29 847
3 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 42.30 813
4 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 26.41 528
5 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 22.35 475
6 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 19.75 431
7 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 16.77 369
8 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 5.00 116
8 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 5.00 116
8 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 5.00 116

Final:

# Name Glider Total
1 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 4531
2 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 4217
3 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 3462
4 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 3063
5 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 2987
6 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 2716
7 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 2226
8 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 1541
9 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 1490
10 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 1287
11 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 625

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 28, 2019, 3:23:51 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

The last day

Jeff Chipman|PG|US Nationals 2019|weather|Wilotree Park

The forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 85. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Surface winds 8 mph decreasing to 5 mph east northeast.

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 600 fpm
TOL: 5,000’
Wind TOUL: 8 mph, east northeast
B/S: 9.8
Surface winds 5 mph east northeast
Cu’s unlikely.

The task:

No Leg Dist. Id Radius
1 0.0 km QUEST 400 m
2 SS 4.6 km QUEST 5000 m
3 35.1 km GROSS 3000 m
4 53.4 km CENTER 400 m
5 68.1 km CENTER 15000 m
6 82.7 km CENTER 400 m
7 ES 101.9 km QUEST 400 m

A 15 kilometer exit circle around Center Hill.

The flight on-line: https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/27.4.2019/17:30

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2257915

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190428&gliderclass=hg1

The narrative:

The idea is that we would fly west to get away from the lake effect with the northeast wind to the 3 km turnpoint around the Gross airfield. Then back east to Center Hill against the east wind. There is a 15 km exit cylinder around Center Hill so you have to get anywhere outside it to get this next waypoint, then back to Center Hill before heading back to Wilotree Park.

Again pilots were reluctant to launch until they saw a few pilots in the air, and some of the pilots did launch in their original order. When the launch organizer when around again calling upon us to launch, we all launched in our order.

The lift was indeed suppressed by the lake effect and I didn't find anything at first. Then I drifted down wind to the Mickey Mouse lake and with the help of the "locals" skimming over the lake, I found 200 fpm that took me to over 4,300'. And then after every one joined me we went over and found another thermal to 4,300', but this was 8 minutes before the start window opened and with a 7 mph east southeast wind.

Unfortunately I lost a bunch of altitude when this thermal gave out and was down to 2,800' at the start which put me in a bit of a deficit. Others had managed to stay near 4,000'.

Managed to find 200 fpm over Mascotte and was soon back to 4,200'. I could see the lead gaggle ahead and we found reasonable lift going west toward the Gross airfield, at one point averaging over 300 fpm, and getting to over 4,000' so even though I was behind things looked good.

Three kilometers from the Gross turnpoint I came over the lead gaggle. I found the better lift and they all came in under me. I was back in the game.

As I was on top I lead out to the turnpoint, but instead of heading to the east north east headed back toward where we were previously climbing. This turned out to be an error as the guys that were below me were now above me climbing up over a small fire that was now to my north. I quickly got over there but now I was on the bottom instead of on the top. It took a while to center the smoke thermal from 1,800' but I was finally in the 300 fpm core to 3,900'.

South of Bushnell I climbed to 3,800' but only at a little over 200 fpm. I hadn't caught up with the lead guys yet. I saw a few pilots further north higher and turning but didn't go to them thinking that I would find lift to the east toward Center Hill That was my second mistake.

The lift along the east/west highway going to Center Hill was very weak. The first three thermals: 140 fpm, then 50 fpm, then minus 22 fpm. Leaving the last non-lift at 1,600' I thought for sure that we were going down. At 600' AGL as I looked at fields to the north for landing opportunities as we were over intensively farmed nurseries, we found 225 fpm that took us to 3,800' drifting back at 5 mph.

This made it possible to find lift to 3,100' at 284 fpm just before Center Hill. I headed northeast and found 100 fpm then 180 fpm over a very small fire which got me to 3,600' over the forested area on its southeast corner. A kilometer further north Jeff Chipman and I had the help of two bald eagles as we climbed to 4,300' at 250 fpm.

I went further north past the Florida Turnpike to get past the edge of the 15 kilometer exit cylinder. The wind was 5 mph due east. Coming back from outside the cylinder around Center Hill I started at 2,400'.

Down to 1,700' I found 240 fpm just east of the prison. As I drifted over the prison I climbed to 3,900'. I hoped that they didn't think that I was going to drop anything.

Heading south directly across the center of the forest I found a couple of thermals to get me to the south side, north of Center Hill. There I found 190 fpm to 3,900' at 5:49 PM. After that it was a 12:1 glide for 11 kilometers into a 6 mph head wind to one of the most beautiful and friendly landing fields near us, but 4 kilometers short of the chicken coops where I hoped to get back up.

Raul would land at goal about 5 minutes after as the last one to make goal.

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 26, 2019, 10:14:14 EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

Rain day, winds later

US Nationals 2019

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 25, 2019, 11:07:51 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

We don't go down wind

Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Larry Bunner|PG|US Nationals 2019|weather

The forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the morning.
Surface wind 5 mph, southeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 680 fpm
TOL: 6,000’
Wind TOUL: 10 mph, south southwest
B/S: 10
Surface winds 3 mph south southeast
A good chance of cu’s.

The task:

No Leg Dist. Id Radius
1 0.0 km QUEST 400 m
2 SS 4.6 km QUEST 5000 m
3 10.7 km GATORS 400 m
4 31.7 km BARON 4000 m
5 47.5 km PANOLK 3000 m
6 63.4 km KOKEE 3000 m
7 ES 91.5 km QUEST 400 m

The flight on-line: https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/25.4.2019/17:27

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2255949

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190426&gliderclass=hg1

The narrative:

There are no cu's in the nearby area so the first pilots (including me at number 3) naturally decline to launch and go to the end of the queue. About half the pilots do this, so we quickly start the second round. We find plenty of lift and climb out slowly while drifting to the north toward the first turnpoint at Gator field.

Our drift in the 12 mph south wind and climb rate (weak) are perfectly timed so that we reach the edge of the start cylinder at our highest altitude (4,500') just as the window opens for the first start at 2PM. Jonny and Jon Simon start with us, but go back later. Kevin Dutt is with us. Nine pilots take the first clock.

Gator field is a short distance away so we quickly get there then head northwest up the Florida Turnpike. I get south of the Turnpike to get to the wispy cu's and climb out at over 200 fpm to 4,800'. I saw Kevin, Patrick and Konstantin higher and in front of me further down wind to the north (the wind is now 13 mph out of the south), but I feel that I can catch them by getting to the cu's and climbing faster.

I keep finding good lift under the cu's along the turnpike and sure enough I run into those pilots ahead of me at the turnpoint at Baron and we climb out fast to cloudbase at 5,800'. We let Chippy and Kevin go out in front.

I wanted to get as high as possible because the next leg looks difficult. It's a straight cross wind leg. It's unclear where we are going to find the lift despite the presence of cu's. Sure enough I get down to 1,900' before I find a little something west of the prisons.

Patrick goes a bit further west and finds better lift. I come over him and climb out to 4,300' while he loses the lift for a while. He fortunately comes back down wind to find it again but I leave him low by the turnpike. The 7 mph wind out of the south southwest pushes us way to the north.

The pilots who took the second clock have almost caught up with us and they are further upwind having found lift near the prisons, which we did not find.

It's an up and back struggle to take the next turnpoint at the grass air strip southwest of Lake Panasofkee and to get away from it to head south southwest to the turnpoint at Kokee. There are plenty of cu's ahead and as soon as I get away from the lake I find strong lift, at one point averaging almost 500 fpm to 5,000'.

That height gets me to 2,500' 3 kilometers north northeast of he turnpoint. I circle there a few times with Jonny in negative 110 and then leave as I can't figure out why we are doing this. I head for the turnpoint while Glen turns back upwind to get up at Bushnell.

I get lucky. Down to 1,100' AGL I tag the turnpoint and then find a thermal which at 250 fpm takes me to 4,400'. This puts me ahead of all the nearby pilots. I head out with Larry Bunner, who took the second clock, nearby.

After an 8 kilometer glide and down to 2,100' I decide to turn back to get under a better looking cu. Larry comes in under me. I climb to 3,800' at almost 200 fpm with Larry right below me. Five or six pilots who were just behind us come in under us as we climb up.

We lead out and find three more thermals for the following pilots, being their guiding lights ahead. The last one just south of the nursery on highway 50 takes me to 3,600'with a 9.5 kilometer glide to goal. With a 4 mph cross wind it is an easy final glide as I lead them all into goal.

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 25, 2019, 10:20:58 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

Preliminary Results for day 5, task 5 (Kevin Dutt not scored yet)

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Davis Straub|Glen Volk|John Simon|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Larry Bunner|Phill Bloom|Raul Guerra|Tim Delaney|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/results

Task 5:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 02:28:56 987
2 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 02:29:51 968
3 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 02:30:59 953
4 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 02:43:59 845
5 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 02:44:41 839
6 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 02:51:41 798
7 Raul Guerra Aeros Combat C 12.7 03:09:40 709
8 Corinna Schwiegershausen Moyes RX 3 Pro 03:21:44 647
9 Wolfgang Siess Wills Wing T3 154 03:23:50 641
10 Larry Bunner Wills Wing T2C144 03:20:34 636
11 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 03:39:55 631

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 4634
2 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 4445
3 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 4283
4 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 4121
5 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 4042
6 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 3978
7 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 3861
8 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 3655
9 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 3641
10 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 3631
11 Guilherme Sandoli WillsWing T2C 136 3415
12 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 3393
13 Glen Volk Moyes RX 3.5 3364
14 Philippe Michaud Wills Wing T2C 144 3236
15 Patrick Pannese Wills Wing T3 144 3227

Sport task:

Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 02:23:18 51.30 1000
2 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 31.46 615
3 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 28.50 584
4 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 26.15 552
5 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 24.28 522
6 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 19.19 422
7 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 17.67 388
8 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 17.38 381
9 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 7.53 155
10 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 5.00 105
10 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 5.00 105

Sport cumulative:

Name Glider Total
1 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 3718
2 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 3689
3 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 2987
4 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 2632
5 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 2140
6 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 2110
7 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 1816
8 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 1541
9 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 1374
10 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 918
11 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 509

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 25, 2019, 7:58:08 EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

Results for day 4, task 4

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Jeff Chipman|John Simon|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Phill Bloom|Tim Delaney|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/results

Task 4:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 02:43:32 987
2 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 02:47:40 922
3 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 02:51:00 917
4 Philippe Michaud Wills Wing T2C 144 02:47:56 915
5 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 02:51:18 912
6 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 02:51:02 882
7 Jeff Chipman Moyes RX 3.5 02:53:35 863
8 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 02:56:40 847
9 Wolfgang Siess Wills Wing T3 154 03:03:09 804
10 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 03:11:24 801

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 3666
2 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 3647
3 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 3631
4 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 3600
5 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 3360
6 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 3296
7 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 3276
8 Guilherme Sandoli WillsWing T2C 136 3207
9 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 3203
10 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 2908

Sport task 4:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 01:34:28 38.23 1000
2 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 01:35:11 38.23 979
3 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 01:38:31 38.23 934
4 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 35.24 518
5 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 27.66 441
6 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 26.35 424
7 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 25.02 402
8 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 11.06 156
9 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 5.38 87
10 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 5.00 83

Sport Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 3074
2 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 2718
3 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 2606
4 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 2080
5 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 1588
6 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 1556
7 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 1436
8 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 1394
9 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 1219
10 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 530

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 25, 2019, 0:20:37 EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

Counter clockwise around the Green Swamp

Belinda Boulter|Bruce Barmakian|PG|Steven "Steve" Pearson|US Nationals 2019|weather|Wilotree Park|Zac Majors

The forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Surface wind 5 mph, southeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 660 fpm
TOL: 5,600’
Wind TOUL: 6 mph, east
B/S: 10
Surface winds 2 mph south
A chance of cu’s.

The task:

No Leg Dist. Id Radius
1 0.0 km QUEST 400 m
2 SS 4.6 km QUEST 5000 m
3 11.7 km T50469 1000 m
4 28.2 km KOKEE 3000 m
5 45.7 km DIARIA 5000 m
6 67.3 km T98471 1000 m
7 78.6 km FAMISH 2000 m
8 93.5 km T47433 1000 m
9 ES 110.1 km QUEST 400 m

The replay: https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2696#

The flight on-line: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2255169

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190417&gliderclass=hg1

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/24.4.2019/17:39

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

The narrative:

Steve Pearson, Zac Majors and Wolfgang Seiss let me borrow the Wills Wing TIII that is here at Wilotree Park and in Wills inventory. So I'm back on the TIII.

After the pilot meeting I go over across the runway to setup the glider. This keeps me from hearing that the task has changed slightly. A waypoint is added at Famish. The meet director, Belinda, forgets to call another pilot meeting at the launch site, forgets to tell the volunteers working the line to mention the task change to pilots, and doesn't have the safety committee review the task change that was made because of pilot input for safety reasons (which were bogus).

She does call a pilot meeting at the normal location but at least three of us are far away near launch and don't hear the whistle. She brings over the amended task board to the launch, but we don't see it. She doesn't even mention it to me. The small blank task board is not used to highlight the task change in the line.

Many of the pilots skip their launch spot given what happened the day before with so many relaunches. There are no cu's in the sky, but Larry thinks that they will show up (he's right).

We go through the list again and with evidence of good lift we all get pulled up. Numerous gaggles form with the lift working and soon a bunch of us head to the edge of the start cylinder as it's only a few minutes before the first start time. We hang in weak lift near the top of the lift at 4,000'.

Ten or so of us head out but don't go very far before turning in more weak lift. I can tell right away that this group is going to turn back and take the next start gate. We come back from 2 km out with 5 minutes to spare and take the 2:20 PM clock.

We're racing west along the north edge of the Green Swamp. The lift varies from 85 fpm to 300 fpm. Mostly it is less than 200 fpm. Pilots are jumping from gaggle to gaggle.

We've got a 3 km turnpoint cylinder at the northwestern edge of the Green Swamp. After finding 300 fpm on the northeastern edge we again find 300 fpm on the northwestern side and climb to 4,400'. It's after 3 PM. We find the first cu's, which then populate the western edge of the Green Swamp.

The lift gets good. We head south and find 300 fpm, 300 fpm, 400 fpm, 300 fpm and 450 fpm in the next thermals to over 5,500', not quite cloudbase. Larry Bunner and I are working with each other to make sure that we find the best lift.

Larry and I head south to the cu's west of the turnpoint at the bottom of the Green Swamp. Those pilots who took the more direct route are down below us as we get nearer the turnpoint at 471 and 98.

Larry and I climb out at 350 fpm to 5,400' under the sweet looking cu's that we come to expect when we do the Green Swamp task. There are more in front of us and we are able to take advantage of them.

I'm cruising along at 5,500' over the Green Swamp when Larry comes back at me from the south and asks if I got the turnpoint at Famish. This is the first I've hear of it. He had just gone to the south to get the turnpoint. I'm quickly fiddling with my instruments to see how far away the two kilometer cylinder around Famish is. I get within less than a kilometer of Famish itself before turning back to parallel the course line.

I head out over the pasture lands, not the forest land toward little wisps. Down to 2,600' I work 190 fpm to 4,400' and then scoot back over the forest to get to 5,000' under some wisps. Based on the latest transmission from Larry who is near the turnpoint 8 kilometers away I should be able to find lift there and can leave at 5,000' to get to it.

Sure enough there is plenty of lift just north the 474 to 5,000' and that makes the glide into goal easy.

Controversy erupts when Belinda comes up with a way to score the day with a bonus for those pilots who made the Famish turnpoint. Only Bruce Barmakian and Kevin Dutt didn't.

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 23, 2019, 10:49:16 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

A funny shaped task at 90 km

Flytec 6030|PG|Rob Clarkson|US Nationals 2019|Volirium P1|weather|Wilotree Park

The forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.
Surface wind 6 – 8 mph, east

HRRR 3, 2 PM:
Updraft velocity: 640 fpm
TOL: 5,000’
Wind TOUL: 11 mph, northeast
B/S: 7.2
Surface winds 5 mph east
A slight chance of cu’s.

The task:

  Leg Dist. Id Radius
1 0.0 km QUEST 400 m
2 SS 4.6 km QUEST 5000 m
3 17.0 km T47433 400 m
4 31.5 km WALABY 5000 m
5 53.5 km DSROK 400 m
6 71.5 km T47433 400 m
7 ES 88.4 km QUEST 400 m

The Replay: https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2696

The flight on-line: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2254486

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190417&gliderclass=hg1

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/23.4.2019/19:09

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

The narrative:

The wind is out of the east and we're back in the slot at the west end. There are no cu's and with the brisk enough we are probably getting some suppression of the lift from Lake Apopka. But we are not aware of it at first.

I'm 17th to launch and we've already had one pilot land. Tim takes me to the south of the field and I find strong lift, 400 fpm to 4,300'. When it peters out I head north east then east looking for the next thermal.  I don't find anything even in the smoke from the fire to the east. Kevin Dutt is right below me and he turns to go back to Wilotree Park for a landing just as I do.

Unfortunately I take out a down tube on landing, but fortunately David Lopez and Alex Skyride operate as a pit crew and get me back in line for another tow. It's probably been three years since I took out a down tube.

I get back in line but it's time for the sport class launch. Everyone has to wait for them. There is a fifteen minute interval after the end of the open class launch for relights, then pilots have to wait for the sport class to launch. The top three pilots have to wait as they all had to relaunch. There were many relaunches.

It's a long wait, but when we get up we find good lift to the southwest away from Wilotree Park. I climb to 3,800' at 240 fpm and take the fourth clock (out of four) at 3:24 PM (last clock is at 3:15 PM), more than an hour after the first clock. No one is able to take the first clock at 2:15 PM.

I glide 8 kilometers from the edge of the start cylinder down to 900' AGL just north of the Seminole Glider Port where I spot hang glider pilots turning. I climb out at 240 fpm to 4,900'. This makes it easy to get the first turnpoint at the intersection of highway 474 and highway 33.

There are a few pilots around and it is five thermals to get to the Wallaby 5 km turnpoint to the southeast. The first thermal is reasonable strong at 340 fpm to 4,300', but the rest of them are weak, under 300 fpm.

I turn around at the turnpoint to head west to the intersection of Dean Still and Rockridge and find 364 fpm to 4,300' drifting to the west. I can see pilots climbing in the distance and after a 10 kilometer glide get under them and it's 250 fpm to 3,500'.  A little over a kilometer further west I find 280 fpm to 4,500'.

I've got two flight instruments the Flytec 6030 and the Volirium P1. I'm noticing a significant different in the indicated distance to the turnpoint. Finally I figure out that I've put the turnpoint at the intersection of Rockridge and highway 98 in the 6030, but the P1 has DSROK. I know that that is the right  turnpoint and this hasn't caused any delays in my flight. I take the turnpoint at DSROK and manually select the next turnpoint on the 6030.

As I make the turnpoint I head into the headwind. The first thermal averages minus 35 fpm. After eight minutes of waiting to see if it will turn on I head out toward public roads to the east so that I can land with a manageable retrieve.

Down to 600' AGL I spot a pilot turning at just above my altitude a short distance to the north. I come in under him and climb out at 134 fpm drifting back to the west. I top out at 2,400'.

I spot Peter Kelley and Rob Clarkson to my north over edge of the Green Swamp. I race toward them and find lift before I get there. It's 180 fpm to 3,200'. They join me.

We move to the east a couple of kilometers to find 190 fpm to 4,400'. Leaving this lift it's a nine kilometer glide to the turnpoint at 474 and 33. My 6030 user fields go blank so I can't see my glide ratio over the ground among other bits information. It states that the wind direction is south west which is a bit confusing. The actual wind is about 5 mph out of the east.

There was a forecast for a sea breeze from the west late and it is definitely late, eight minutes after 6 PM. The user fields return as I get to the turnpoint. They show a north wind component of 3 mph.

I'm down to 1,400' at the turnpoint and head north along highway 33. There are plenty of open field to land in if needed and it appears to be needed. Peter and Rob are just behind me.

I pick out a huge field that I am familiar with just east of the Seminole glider port. I look around and there appears to be no wind in the field. I come in low at the north end assuming a southwest wind, but I am mistaken. It is in fact north east if light. Suddenly I realize that I'm going to eat up the whole field.

Just before I smack into the fence at the southwest corner I turn but hit the fence on the western side. I'm unhurt but there is enough damage to the glider that I won't be flying that one on Wednesday. First time in over 5,000 flights that I've hit a fence.

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 23, 2019, 9:25:33 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

The preliminary results for day 3, task 3

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Davis Straub|Fabiano Nahoum|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Konstantin Lukyanov|Phill Bloom|Raul Guerra|Roger Irby|Tim Delaney|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/results

Task 3:

# Name Glider SS Time Distance Total
1 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 14:35:00 02:40:29 88.43 958
2 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 14:35:00 02:40:45 88.43 944
2 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 14:35:00 02:40:46 88.43 944
4 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 15:15:00 02:35:04 88.43 901
5 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 14:35:00 02:56:35 88.43 862
6 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 14:35:00 02:58:54 88.43 852
7 Corinna Schwiegershausen Moyes RX 3 Pro 14:35:00 02:59:28 88.43 846
8 Guilherme Sandoli WillsWing T2C 136 14:35:00 03:15:02 88.43 782
9 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 14:15:00 03:29:18 88.43 778
10 Konstantin Lukyanov Moyes RX 3.5 14:15:00 81.69 622

Cumulative:

Name Glider Total
1 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 2836
2 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 2827
3 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 2758
4 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 2669
5 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 2654
6 Guilherme Sandoli WillsWing T2C 136 2422
7 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 2416
8 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 2382
9 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 2301
10 Patrick Pannese Wills Wing T3 144 2297
11 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 2175
12 Konstantin Lukyanov Moyes RX 3.5 2137
13 Fabiano Nahoum Icaro Laminar 14.1 2119
14 Raul Guerra Aeros Combat C 12.7 2118
15 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 2047

Sport Task 3:

# Name Glider Distance Total
1 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 19.58 257
2 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 15.34 219
3 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 6.77 145
4 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 5.00 129
4 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 5.00 129
4 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 5.00 129
4 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 5.00 129
4 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 5.00 129
4 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 5.00 129
4 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 5.00 129

Sport Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 1853
2 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 1660
3 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 1614
4 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 1564
5 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 1375
6 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 1144
7 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 1021
8 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 911
9 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 869
10 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 405
11 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 404

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 22, 2019, 10:19:28 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

100 km, FAI triangle

James-Donald "Don" "Plummet" Carslaw|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|PG|US Nationals 2019|weather|Wilotree Park

The forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the morning.
Surface wind 6 mph, northeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 640 fpm
TOL: 5,600’
Wind TOUL: 9 mph, north
B/S: 10
Surface winds 6 mph east
No cu’s.

The task:

No Leg Dist. Id Radius
1 0.0 km QUEST 400 m
2 SS 4.6 km QUEST 5000 m
3 41.9 km CHIN 10000 m
4 77.4 km BARON 3000 m
5 ES 105.7 km QUEST 400 m

The Replay:

https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2696

The flight on-line: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2253551

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190423&gliderclass=hg1

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/22.4.2019/17:56

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

The narrative:

We move the launch from the northeast facing direction to an east facing direction further west in the east/west slot runway and delay the task half an hour to start at 2:30 PM. There are no cu's as forecast. The wind is light out of the east.

I launch 24th and find light lift to the south of Wilotree and climb slowly to 3,600' with a couple of other pilots. Pilots who left this thermal early before getting as high as we did and head to the northwest have to land back at Wilotree Park.

We head northwest toward the first turnpoint, a ten kilometer cylinder around the Chinese airfield. It's still six minutes before the first start gate. We find 200 fpm and then 300 fpm. I leave the start cylinder four minutes after the window opens as I climb to 4,400'. There are about eight guys higher and in front of a few of us behind.

We are doing a bit better behind finding better lift and keeping an eye on the gaggle in front. The lift is poor, less than 200 fpm, and the lead gaggle is getting lower and lower with each thermal.

I veer off to the south a bit just northwest of the lumber yard and south of some greenhouses to find much better lift at 300 fpm and climb to 4,700'. The lead gaggle is far below and soon out of site to the north.

I take over the lead as the lead gaggle struggles and head out on my own toward the turnpoint. I've been out here before so I have some idea of what to look for in order to get back up as I come down from my commanding height.

It's a nine kilometer glide before I find 170 fpm by the Kokee turnpoint and I can climb back to 3,000'. A six kilometer glide and I come over apparently from the smell, some chicken coops just east of a prison (so many of them in Florida). I'm down to 1,400' and looking at a possible landing field just past the prison, but I find little bits of lift and hang with them.

I average a little over 100 fpm to 2,000' which gets me past the prison and the field next to it. I'm familiar with the fields ahead having climbed out of them on a previous flight. They are the last fields before the river which is surrounded by trees. Our optimized turnpoint is just on the other side of the river. I'm too low to cross it.

I see a small bit of smoke in the trees next to an open field and get to it at 600' AGL. I take the 254 fpm to 4,500' where we all get together at the turnpoint. I relinquish my lead at this point.

Now it's sixteen guys racing toward the three kilometer cylinder around the Baron turnpoint to the east northeast with seven guys in front. We race ahead and stop for 200 to 300 fpm about every five kilometers. Five or so guys at the top of each thermal.

As we pass south of the prisons, Phil Bloom goes out in front, with Pedro, Nene and me just behind him getting higher. I lead out to get over Phil who has lost a lot of altitude as we approach the turnpoint. I lead out again with Raul and Bruno just behind racing for the turnpoint. We get the turnpoint and head south.

Those behind us see us plummeting and take a line further to the east also heading south. Bruno moves to the south east to get in the lead with Jonny and Kevin Dutt behind him as they work weak lift from low. Bruno lands.

Raul and I work 25 fpm for twelve minutes to climb from 2,200 to 2,700' as we drift in an eight mph north wind toward Wilotree Park and goal. I lead out as I'm familiar with the area. We work 100 fpm and 55 fpm climbing to 2,800' and drifting south.

I come over the nursery on the north side of highway 50 west of Mascotte but I don't find much. Raul spots a vulture climbing and climbs with him when I turn east to head for the chicken coops and possible landing area. Down to 600' AGL I find a little bit of zero sink and start working and searching for the better core.

The guys to our east are finding better lift. Kevin Dutt gets out ahead and continues on a long glide into goal. The pilots who took the second clock are able to come in fifteen minutes later and score well despite poor leading and arrival points.

It's almost 6 PM. I find the area of better lift over the possible landing field and slowly climb out drifting slowly to the south. I climb at 120 fpm to 3,700' topping out at 6:22 PM with a 6:1 glide to goal. I'm not in the mood for landing short. It's an easy seven kilometer glide into goal for the last guy to make it to goal at 6:28.

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 22, 2019, 10:18:12 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

The preliminary results for day 2, task 2

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Fabiano Nahoum|Glen Volk|Jeff Chipman|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Phill Bloom|Tim Delaney|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/results

Task 2:

# Name Glider SS ES Time Total
1 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 14:30:00 17:44:36 03:14:36 947
2 Glen Volk Moyes RX 3.5 14:50:00 17:59:14 03:09:14 926
3 Jeff Chipman Moyes RX 3.5 14:50:00 17:59:23 03:09:23 918
4 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 14:30:00 17:49:30 03:19:30 905
5 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 14:30:00 17:49:50 03:19:50 896
6 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 14:30:00 17:49:55 03:19:55 886
7 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 14:50:00 18:04:05 03:14:05 864
8 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 14:30:00 17:55:56 03:25:56 861
9 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 14:50:00 18:05:51 03:15:51 857
10 Fabiano Nahoum Icaro Laminar 14.1 14:50:00 18:06:43 03:16:43 845

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 1935
2 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 1883
3 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 1843
4 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 1818
5 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 1814
6 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 1807
7 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 1802
8 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 1800
9 Glen Volk Moyes RX 3.5 1771
10 Patrick Pannese Wills Wing T3 144 1748

Sport task 2:

# Name Glider Distance Total
1 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 27.06 900
2 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 22.70 803
3 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 20.80 749
4 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 20.11 726
5 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 20.07 724
6 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 17.60 624
7 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 17.54 621
8 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 16.19 553
9 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 15.07 491
10 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 6.59 177
11 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 5.00 142

Sport Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 1724
2 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 1485
3 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 1435
4 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 1403
5 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 1156
6 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 1015
7 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 892
8 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 782
9 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 724
10 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 404
11 Attila Plasch Moyes Litesport 4 276

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 21, 2019, 10:42:08 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

We stick together

John Simon|PG|US Nationals 2019|weather

https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2696#

The forecast:

http://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Sunday

Sunny, with a high near 78. Light northwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Surface wind 8 mph, northwest

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 700 fpm
TOL: 5,600’
Wind TOUL: 11 mph, northwest
B/S: 8.8
Surface winds 10 mph northwest
Chance of cu’s.

There is a strong inversion and no chance of cu's.

The task:

No Leg Dist. Id Radius
1 0.0 km QUEST 400 m
2 SS 4.6 km QUEST 5000 m
3 40.1 km Fantasy of Flight 1000 m
4 87.6 km Avon Park 22000 m
5 ES 100.0 km Lake Wales 400 m

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2252178

At one o'clock, there are no cu's and a pretty brisk wind out of the west. I'm scheduled to launch ninth, but will all the help I'm giving to the meet director I'm not ready, so opt to launch at the end of the line. John Simon has already told me that he is launching last so as to not have to wait around for an hour in the start cylinder, so that helps me make my decision to wait.

The pilots that we pulled up before us stick and we get towed up at 40 minutes after the launch window opens and twenty minutes before the start window opens. At almost 300 fpm we climb to 5,000' a few minutes before the start window opens and take it high at 4,800'. I'm not the highest pilot but high enough to not be disadvantaged by launching so late. Almost everyone takes the first start clock.

With no cu's everyone relies on everyone else. We jump from group to group and climb up in a friendly fashion not cutting each other off. We climb to 5,600' before the Fantasy of Flight our first turnpoint with lift averaging 300 and 400 fpm in the last thermals before we cross interstate 4.

We've got twenty to thirty pilots sticking together and using each other to find lift as we move over Winter Haven. The distance between thermals is less than 5 km. We are flying over built up areas with just a few landing areas but with plenty of lift we don't consider the ground below.

Lots of lakes below, of course, but not many indicators of lift with the light winds. Just south of Winter Haven we climb at 300 fpm to 5,100'. I'm near the top of the gaggle now after playing catch up the whole flight. I head off with Bruno Sandoli and one other pilot. We are soon in the lead overall.

There are mostly open fields ahead and we are 23 kilometers from the edge of the 22 km turnpoint cylinder around Avon Park to the south. We expect to find lift quickly and perhaps get away from the rest of the gaggle.

This doesn't work out. We glide for twelve kilometers without finding a bump. I see Sandoli turning to the west and down to 1,600' I go under him, but find only sink. I head further south as I don't see him head north and start rising and down to 800' AGL find 50 fpm to 1,600'. I stick with this for 15 minutes then it improves to almost 300 fpm climbing for the next ten minutes to 4,300' over possible landing areas.

I go from being in front to being behind. But it is quite exciting to be so close to landing and being able to climb in weak lift for so long.

There are a couple of gaggles just ahead hovering around the turnpoint at the cylinder edge. I'll have to work some lift to be able to get high enough to come in to goal behind them.

Thirty pilots in goal.

2019 Nationals (week 2)

April 21, 2019, 9:14:50 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (week 2)

The preliminary results

Bruce Barmakian|competition|John Simon|Roger Irby|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/results

Task 1:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 02:37:01 990
2 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 02:36:57 988
3 Pedro L. Garcia Wills Wing T3 144 02:36:57 987
4 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 02:37:03 981
5 Akira Nagusa Wills Wing T23144 02:37:20 972
6 Bruno Sandoli Wills Wing T2C 144 02:37:24 970
7 Bruce Barmakian Moyes LS 3.0 02:38:07 957
8 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 02:38:19 954
9 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 02:38:34 953
10 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 02:38:19 946

Sport Task 1:

Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 02:08:47 52.28 1000
2 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 41.31 692
3 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 40.81 687
4 Mitch Sorby Wills Wing U2 145 30.45 542
5 Adam Smith Wills Wing U2 145 17.02 376
6 Danilo Lohse De Stefani Wills Wing U2 160 11.95 319
7 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 11.73 316
8 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 9.33 275
9 Knut Ryerson Aeros Discus C 9.12 271
10 Phil Siscoe Wills Wing U2 8.99 268

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 20, 2019, 1:40:42 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Too windy on Saturday

US Nationals 2019|weather

At Leesburg Airport to our north:

Time
(edt)
Wind
(mph)
12:53 W 20 G 28
11:53 W 16 G 29
10:53 W 22 G 33
09:53 W 18 G 28
08:53 SW 10

The local rules state:

Wind direction and velocity determine the launch area and launch direction. South-southeast wind speeds up to 15 - 20 mph can be accommodated from the north-northwest launch area. Westerly winds up to 10 - 15 mph can be accommodated from the east and southeast launch. East winds up to 10 - 15 mph can be accommodated out of the west launch. Northerly winds 10 - 15 mph can be accommodated out of the south launch.

Variations in wind direction and gust factors below 5 mph will be evaluated to determine launch safety. For winds above 10 mph, gusting above 5 mph will keep the launch suspended or closed.

The day was cancelled by the Safety Committee and Director.

The second week starts on Sunday. The forecast is for good weather with light winds.

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 19, 2019, 4:00:43 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Rain day, Friday

US Nationals 2019

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 19, 2019, 3:48:34 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Georgia

Bobby Bailey|Christian Ciech|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Kevin Carter|Larry Bunner|PG|Richard Lovelace|Suan Selenati|Tullio Gervasoni|US Nationals 2019|weather

The flight:

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/18.4.2019/16:37

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2247267

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190419&gliderclass=hg1

The Thursday forecast:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Thursday

Sunny, with a high near 89. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Surface wind 10 mph, south southeast

RAP 13, noon:

Updraft velocity: 600 fpm
TOL: 4,300’
Wind TOUL: 19 mph, south southeast
B/S: 3.8
Surface winds 9 mph south southeast
A good chance of cu’s.

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 700 fpm
TOL: 6,000’
Wind TOUL: 20 mph, south
B/S: 5.3
Surface winds 10 mph south
A good chance of cu’s.
Strong upper level winds. Convergence over highway 301 to Vidalia, Georgia

The earlier winds make for a few timid pilots at first. David Fynn, the Safety Director measures 7 - 11 gusting to 14 mph. The report from the Leesburg Airport to the north is consistent with that with the wind decreasing from 14 mph to 10 mph by 1 PM.

The local rules state:

Wind direction and velocity determine the launch area and launch direction. South-southeast wind speeds up to 15 - 20 mph can be accommodated from the north-northwest launch area. Westerly winds up to 10 - 15 mph can be accommodated from the east and southeast launch. East winds up to 10 - 15 mph can be accommodated out of the west launch. Northerly winds 10 - 15 mph can be accommodated out of the south launch.

Variations in wind direction and gust factors below 5 mph will be evaluated to determine launch safety. For winds above 10 mph, gusting above 5 mph will keep the launch suspended or closed.

Despite the earlier whining, the pilots get in line and start to launch. It is a little rough coming out of the field, but I've launched here to the south southeast in 22 mph winds and it was fine.

Bobby Bailey takes me south to 2,000' AGL in a 14 mph south wind. He drops me in lift and I climb at 160 fpm to 4,100' and cloud base. We climbed again to cloud base just to the northwest of Groveland within the 10 kilometer start cylinder. As we get near cloudbase we head out. It's Tullio, Larry Bunner, Andrew Hollidge, Guilherme Sandoli, and I. Larry gets low by Grass Roots trying to get his radio working.

Andrew and I do a bunch of the pulling as we head northwest along the Turnpike toward the 5km turnpoint cylinder around Coleman. I keep leaving when the lift gets weak. None of the thermals average over 200 fpm until we get north of the Turnpike next to the turnpoint where we climb back to cloud base.

Northeast of Wildwood I find 300 fpm to 4,800'. Always leaving well below cloud base as the lift peters out. Tullio gets out in front and leads us up highway 301 to the north toward the next turnpoint at the state prison northwest of Starke.

I can't spot Tullio as he is too low on the west side of the Villages quite a ways east of highway 301. I leave Guilherme and Andrew and lead out on my own. I can see them, turning 5 km behind me. The lift is between 200 and 300 fpm.

I pass Tullio and head for a dark cu southeast of Leeward airfield. The thermal is almost 300 fpm as is the next one at the Leeward airfield. I climb to 4,600'. Tullio is back out in front along 301 over east Ocala, a tricky spot with few landing options. We've left everyone else behind.

Tullio gets too low in this poor area and lands.

I fly over the Ocala National Forest and the Silver Springs Conservation area east of 301 toward good looking cu's. I keep heading north northeast off the course line to stay under cu's. I've never gone this far east before on this course. I'm nine kilometers to the east of the course line but it's blue a long the course line.

Suan, Kevin Carter, and Rudy are about 10 km to 20 km behind as I come up east of Orange Lake and far from the paved highway.

Southeast of Hawthorne and ten kilometers east of Lochloosa Lake and at 5,200' I change direction heading north west toward more cu's that are now conveniently closer to the course line. I need to get around the west side of Keystone airfield to stay out of restricted airspace to the north of it.

Northeast of Hawthorne I find a thermal at almost 300 fpm and leave that at 4,800' still climbing but slowly. Southwest of Lake Santa Fe I find over 300 fpm to 4,500'. Suan has caught me from behind and is just over me. He heads out in front and I follow.

He marks strong lift 12 kilometers south of Stark next to 301. We are well west of the restricted airspace. I climb at a little over 300 fpm to 4,500'. Suan is way out in front but goes down by the turnpoint at the prison just before a huge expanse of forested lands. I work the cu's northwest of Starke and climb to 5,500' before turning north northwest toward the 2 km turnpoint cylinder around the prison.

Guilherne and Andrew are about 5 km behind near Starke. Kevin Carter, Rudy, Richard Lovelace and Christian Ciech are just behind them another 5 to 10 km.

I make the turnpoint and find 240 fpm right away to 4,800'. It's 4:45 pm. Every where I look to the north northeast I see forested lands, with patches of clear cuts and sand roads. The cu's are to the west of the course line and I head for them. There is only lift under the cu's and it is blue to the northeast. I have every desire to stay up and not land out in the middle of nowhere with bad road access.

I climb at 210 fpm southwest of Macclenney over open fields three kilometers west of the course line. To get under the next cu's I have to turn further to the north northwest to climb at 180 fpm to 4,700'. I'm now 6 km west of the course line. Guilherme comes in 2,000' below me.

Andrew has made a turn to go to the east to get back on the course line and is flying over the Saint Mary river heading north toward the turnpoint at Saint George while I follow the clouds. I wonder if he found a cu out there.

Rudy and Kevin are west of Macclenny and turning to the northeast to get toward the course line. Guilherme and I have crossed the river and are well into into Georgia and he is flying low over clear cuts and forests. I'm staying as high as possible.

I climb to 5,300' drifting a bit with the 16 mph south southwest wind, somewhat closer to the course line. Reasonable landing fields are 12 kilometers to the east. I can't really see them even when I'm at 5,300'. The only other options to my east are rough cut clear cuts.

As I get down to 2,500' I head toward pasture lands to the northwest just in case and find 200 fpm to 4,800' Guilherme is low under me and over the clear cuts. I turn northeast to leave the cu's behind but head toward the turnpoint as I'm about to be blown past it. It seems to me that I will not find any lift in that direction. I see Guilherme land in a clear cut by highway 94.

Behind me Rudy and Kevin with Jonny Durand behind them have made the leap to the northeast. I can see cu's in that direction but they seem far too far away. Maybe not. Andrew has landed after ticking the turnpoint at Saint George. I don't like the landing prospects on highway 94 (that's a mistake) and head for what looks like a farm to the east northeast.

It turns out to be nothing and I, like Guilherme, have to land in a clear cut off a sand road just slightly northwest of the turnpoint a little after 6 PM. My driver does a heroic job as we communicate over the phone navigating six miles in over slippery sand roads.

Nene, Jonny and Olav land a little to the south of me. Rudy and Kevin find lift and able able to make it into goal on a final glide from about 20 kilometers out. They are the only ones to make it.

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 19, 2019, 3:47:05 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Day 5, task 4, results

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Davis Straub|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Kevin Carter|Konstantin Lukyanov|Krzysztof "Krys/Kris" Grzyb|Larry Bunner|Richard Lovelace|Suan Selenati|Tim Delaney|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/results

Replay: https://lt.flymaster.net/bs.php?grp=2672#

Task 4:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 05:17:30 246.97 976
2 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 05:27:21 246.97 950
3 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 229.64 797
4 Larry Bunner Wills Wing T3 144 227.50 792
5 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 223.80 781
5 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 223.63 781
7 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 219.65 765
8 Guilherme Sandoli Wills Wing T2C 144 216.75 752
9 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 208.10 719
10 Konstantin Lukyanov Moyes RX 3.5 183.13 666

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 2989
2 Larry Bunner Wills Wing T3 144 2921
3 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 2911
4 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 2893
5 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 2768
6 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 2764
7 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 2569
8 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 2545
9 Suan Selenati Wills Wing T3 144 2529
10 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 2504
11 Guilherme Sandoli Wills Wing T2C 144 2341
12 Richard Lovelace Wills Wing T3 144 2306
13 Wolfgang Siess Wills Wing T2C 154 2058
14 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 2020
15 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 1987

Sport Task 4:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Erik Grabowski Moyes Gecko 155 03:41:08 148.15 984
2 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 03:45:38 148.15 958
3 L.J. Omara Wills Wing Sport 3 155 132.44 724
4 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 128.29 709
5 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 111.58 631
6 Ricky Rojas Aeros Discus 14C 72.18 505
7 James Race Wills Wing U2C 160 49.34 425
8 Bill Snyder Wills Wing U2 145 32.25 362
9 Ilya Rivkin Will Wing Sport 3 155 31.51 359
10 Nick Jones Wills Wing U2 145 30.49 353

Sport Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Erik Grabowski Moyes Gecko 155 3282
2 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 2725
3 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 2141
4 Ricky Rojas Aeros Discus 14C 2107
5 Nick Jones Wills Wing U2 145 1968
6 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160 1885
7 Adam Smith Wills Wing U2 145 1826
8 Pete Wall Wills Wing U2C 160 1787
9 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 1775
10 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 1757

Warnings:

Name Note
Patrick Pannese Courtesy warning for flying over Ocala Airspace.
Rodrigo Gerundo Courtesy warning for flying over Ocala Airspace.
Corinna Schwiegershausen Courtesy warning for flying over Ocala Airspace.
Larry Bunner Manually scored based on pilot tracklog.

Penalties:

Name % penalty Reason
Kevin Dutt 100% Violation of R2903A Airspace
Krzysztof Grzyb 100% Violation of R2903A airspace.

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 19, 2019, 1:26:47 EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Day 5, task 4, preliminary results

Christian Ciech|competition|Davis Straub|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Kevin Carter|Konstantin Lukyanov|Suan Selenati|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/results

Task 4:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 05:17:30 246.97 997
2 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 05:27:21 246.97 971
3 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144   229.64 815
4 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144   223.80 802
5 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro   223.63 801
6 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro   219.65 787
7 Guilherme Sandoli Wills Wing T2C 144   216.75 775
8 Konstantin Lukyanov Moyes RX 3.5   183.13 696
9 Suan Selenati Wills Wing T3 144   180.76 690
10 Christian Ciech Icaro 2000 Laminar 14.1   175.51 675

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 3009
2 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 2932
3 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 2914
4 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 2799
5 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 2786
6 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 2610
7 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 2563
8 Suan Selenati Wills Wing T3 144 2558
9 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 2525

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 17, 2019, 10:26:30 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

The milk run to Williston

Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|PG|Suan Selenati|US Nationals 2019

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/17.4.2019/17:09

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2246689

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190417&gliderclass=hg1

The sky is full, really full of dark cu's. Such a great promise for the day. We are excited to go to Williston, 110 kilometers to the northwest. The forecast is for an east wind at 14 mph, so it will be a cross wind task.

I'm pulled up early and pin off at 1,800' in 300+ fpm to cloud base at 4,600'. Unlike on Tuesday when we all crowded together there is lift every where and no need to get in each others way. It's perfectly pleasant to fly around and stick at cloudbase. And that's just what we all do.

The wind is blowing at least 12 if not 18 mph out of the east, so we keep tracking back up wind to not get blown out of the start cylinder. Six minutes before the 2 PM start window a bunch of us head to the northeast east of Groveland over highway 50 thinking we'll be in a good position for a start, up wind of the course line.

Only a few pilots take the 2 pm start time, not doubt one of them being Suan. The rest of us wait for the second start time at 2:20 PM and take it downwind of the course line, just east of Mascotte. Oh, well.

There are plenty of pilots, but no crowding. Finding the first lift is a bit of a core and some pilots find great lift, while many of us work 200 fpm west of Grass Roots. The field splits up. Finally Larry and I find 300 fpm to 5,000' northeast of Center Hill and race to the next thermal.

It's only 200 fpm and there are a good number of pilots out in front of us and leave with 4,300'. I'm out in front of Larry but there are half a dozen pilot heading for the 5 km turnpoint around Baron ahead of me.

Larry sees me falling fast goes left and finds 400 fpm behind me. I don't go back to him. I take the turnpoint at 2,600' and continue falling heading to the northwest along the Turnpike. I'm down to 1,100' AGL before I find the weak lift (155 fpm) over a new housing development. The wind is 13 mph from the east southeast and I'm drifting with the thermal for four kilometers getting to only 3,200'.

With lots of cu's around I head north but it's 6 kilometers before I find lift at 1,400' AGL. Again it's weak at 155 fpm on average, and I climb with a few other pilots to 3,200' once again before leaving.

I head out to the north northeast to get under some fast moving cu's over sun lit fields then spot pilots turning to my west. I join them and we go up at almost 400 fpm to 5,000'.

I head out over Marion Oaks but I'm down to 1,600' on the west side before big open fields to the west. I want to grab a thermal on the east side of the open fields as I would rather drift over them than over the treed area to the north and west. The wind is still blowing east southeast at 13 mph.

I find 300+ fpm and climb back to 5,000', cloud base. This gets me over the Florida Greenway and the populated areas to the northwest and to another nice thermal averaging 400 fpm to 5,400' again cloudbase. I'm just southeast of the optimized point on the 7 km turnpoint cylinder around the Dunnellon airfield and southwest of the Ocala airspace.

After taking the turnpoint I head north toward the next cu's and climb to 4,200', 21 km from goal. It looks like I might be able to make it. I get a 20 to 1 glide but 10 km from goal I'm down to 2,200' and it looks like it might be iffy. There is a dark cloud ahead but it is shading all the ground under and to the east of it along my course line. I'm thinking that maybe I won't find any lifting air there.

I turn upwind to the east to get over sunlit fields and find 100 fpm from 1,400' back to 2,500'. That's all I can get so I go on glide to find a nice tail wind and a 14:1 glide to goal.

Many happy pilots at goal. It was great how Suan took most of the available non distance points. Zac and Jonny tied. Mick Howard, who towed pilots up on his trike, launched his hang glider after the Sport Class launch and made it within 16 kilometers of goal.

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 17, 2019, 9:01:58 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Day 4, task 3, results

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Davis Straub|John Simon|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Kevin Carter|Mark Dowsett|Richard Lovelace|Suan Selenati|Tim Delaney|Tyler Borradaile|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/results

What a day. Suan starts early (first clock) and smokes the fields taking huge chunks of the speed, leading and arrival time points.

Task 3:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Suan Selenati Wills Wing T3 144 01:52:36 992
2 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 02:16:26 670
3 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 02:18:12 656
4 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 02:19:21 655
4 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 02:18:35 655
4 Wolfgang Siess Wills Wing T2C 154 02:18:31 655
7 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 02:19:56 649
7 Tyler Borradaile Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 02:19:46 649
9 Marcelo Alexandre Menin Wills Wing T2C 154 02:20:57 640
10 Malcolm Brown Wills Wing T3 144 02:26:38 614

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 2266
2 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 2209
3 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 2001
4 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 1989
5 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 1963
6 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 1920
7 Suan Selenati Wills Wing T3 144 1868
8 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 1852
9 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 1780
10 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 1749
11 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 1736
12 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 1726
13 Richard Lovelace Wills Wing T3 144 1662
14 Guilherme Sandoli Wills Wing T2C 144 1592
15 Corinna Schwiegershausen Moyes RX 3 Pro 1526

All three women made goal. Sara made goal on her Sport 3.

Task 3 sport:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Erik Grabowski Moyes Gecko 155 00:37:56 847
2 Mark Dowsett Moyes Gecko 155 00:40:56 758
3 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 00:40:44 669
4 Pete Wall Wills Wing U2C 160 00:42:45 645
5 Ricky Rojas Aeros Discus 14C 00:49:28 610
6 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 00:45:44 608
7 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 00:51:09 565
8 Ilya Rivkin Will Wing Sport 3 155 01:04:41 539
8 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160 00:54:56 539
10 Nick Jones Wills Wing U2 145 00:59:32 515

Sport Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Erik Grabowski Moyes Gecko 155 2301
2 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 1724
3 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160 1603
4 Nick Jones Wills Wing U2 145 1599
5 Ricky Rojas Aeros Discus 14C 1583
6 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 1468
7 Mark Dowsett Moyes Gecko 155 1449
8 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 1440
9 Pete Wall Wills Wing U2C 160 1412
10 Ilya Rivkin Will Wing Sport 3 155 1272

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 16, 2019, 10:03:09 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Another blue day with a little more wind than forecasted

Bobby Bailey|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|PG|US Nationals 2019|weather

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2245839

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190417&gliderclass=hg1

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 84. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Surface wind 9 decreasing to 7 mph, east, northeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 560 fpm
TOL: 4,300’
Wind TOUL: 6 mph, northeast
B/S: 10.0
Surface winds 5 mph northeast
Looks like a great day with light winds and a high TOL later in the day. No cu’s.

The task committee calls a box task to the northwest. The radii of the turnpoints are chosen very carefully to make it pilot friendly with available landing areas. For example, a three kilometer cylinder around Baron:

We don't have to fly over the swamp to the east and north.

I launch nineteenth just after Larry behind Bobby Bailey. He wraps it up tight low in lift to make his little tug climb, but I hold on any way until he takes me over to the forming gaggle to the north. It's 124 fpm to 3,400'. As I top out it's a little over half an hour before the window opens.

The 5 mph east wind is pushing us toward the edge of the start cylinder, but it's too early to go over there and get trapped against the western side. We hold back in light lift biding out time. I'm on the radio with Larry.

At 1:45 we are near the edge of the cylinder and working up to 3,700'. With the light wind we are able to stay close and take the first start gate at 1PM at 3,400'. A few pilots like Jonny and Zac will take the second gate twenty minutes later.

The thermals are very crowded and we hope to get away from other than a few pilots who we want to work as bird dogs. But for a while everyone sticks together and you are just lucky the out of control pilots, or the rude ones, don't hit you.

We are not going to get high, so it's game of of dare as we head out to the west to see if we can find the next thermal from 2,000'. It takes eight thermals to get to Kokee with a quartering tail wind from the northeast at 7 mph. We find between 100 fpm and 300 fpm climbing to 3,600'. The thermals are still full. Larry and I are working together.

The turnpoint after Kokee is off to the northeast which gives us a bit of a headwind at 6 mph. We're following about four pilots heading toward the town of Bushnell and getting lower and lower without a sign of lift. My neck is sore from all the craning around I'm doing to keep out of everyone's way.

Down to 1,400' AGL I look back to see pilots climbing a little over a kilometer behind me. Larry reports lift ahead but I'm feeling a little too low to make it there in the head wind. This is where we lose contact with each other (other than on the radio). I climb from 1,000' AGL to 3,500' along with half a dozen other pilots.

Pushing ahead I'm back down to 1,100' AGL after 7 kilometers but there are spotters out ahead finding the lift and I climb out at 300 fpm to 3,200'. The head wind continues to be a problem and it is a back and forth fight in weak lift by the landfill trying to make the next waypoint around Coleman north of the mines and west of the prisons. It takes 45 minutes to go 11 kilometers.

I tag the turnpoint at 1,500' and leave it at 2,800'. There are lots of houses in this new development to fly over but fortunately there is also a mine to the south of them. I find good lift over the mines and climbing in a 9 mph east northeast wind get to 4,200' at 250 fpm.

The next optimized turnpoint is due east. I've got some altitude to use. I'm by myself as Larry and his gaggle are ten kilometers ahead and moving slowly.

As I make it to the optimized point on the Baron cylinder five or six gliders come over me about 200 feet higher. Great, now I'll have some help. We tick the turnpoint and head south southeast. I haven't found much lift since leaving the good thermal that got me over 4,000'. We get lower and lower.

Crossing the turnpike to the southeast I see the lowest guy in front of me take one turn then head off with the others to get in a thermal on the north side of the turnpike. I'm down to 800 AGL and don't see any landing areas in that direction. I take a turn in the area where the previous pilot turned, but find just sink. But less sink than I was experiencing. I drift back and find 100 fpm at 700' AGL. I'm over huge open fields.

There is a good paved east/west road just half a kilometer to my north. I'm drifting at 10 mph to the west. There are open fields for 5 kilometers. If I stay up I know that I can get out fairly easily. I hang tight at 97 fpm.

Corinna flies right at my altitude right next to me but doesn't stop and thermal with me. She continues east and quickly lands. After a few minutes two gliders chase back to me from the group that had gone to the north of the turnpike and come in under me. I think it is Olav on a Moyes Litespeed and Hugo Rodriguez on a Combat. I get to hang with them just above them as we drift quickly west.

In twenty seven minutes we climb  to 4,000'. It's 5:15 PM. I follow Olav to the southeast where he finds a little lift. I move over to the small fire to the west but that gives only 50 fpm. I lose track of Olav and stick with Hugo as we head to the next fire. That one provides negative lift.

We head down the road that goes to Center Hill from Mascotte but soon run out of altitude and land in big fields. It looks like Olav got within one kilometer of goal.

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 16, 2019, 8:13:34 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Day 3, task results

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Davis Straub|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Kevin Carter|Larry Bunner|Tim Delaney|Tullio Gervasoni|US Nationals 2019|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/results

Task 2:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 03:03:30 973
2 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 03:04:46 962
3 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 03:07:21 941
4 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 03:23:36 924
5 Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli Wills Wing T3 144 03:23:25 923
6 Guilherme Sandoli Wills Wing T2C 144 03:24:48 918
7 Tullio Gervasoni Wills Wing T3 144 03:24:44 912
8 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 03:25:56 908
9 Larry Bunner Wills Wing T3 144 03:27:31 898
10 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 03:33:22 874

All the Sandoli's (Nene and his two sons) made goal.

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 1617
2 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 1556
3 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 1516
4 Larry Bunner Wills Wing T3 144 1494
5 Rodolfo Gotes Wills Wing T3 144 1401
6 Kevin Dutt Aeros Combat 13.5 1382
7 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 1374
8 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T3 144 1327
9 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 1266
10 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 1234

Sport class:

Task 2:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Erik Grabowski Moyes Gecko 155 02:37:20 985
2 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160 02:58:54 875
3 Adam Smith Wills Wing U2 145 03:08:22 865

Cumullative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Erik Grabowski Moyes Gecko 155 1443
2 Adam Smith Wills Wing U2 145 1169
3 Rod Regier Moyes Litesport 4 1145
4 Nick Jones Wills Wing U2 145 1071
5 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160 1051
6 Ricky Rojas Aeros Discus 14C 961
7 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 899
8 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Sport 3 135 820
9 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 787
10 Pete Wall Wills Wing U2C 160 755

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 15, 2019, 10:19:36 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Day 2, task 1

Bruce Barmakian|competition|Davis Straub|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Larry Bunner|PG|Richard Lovelace|US Nationals 2019|weather|Wills Wing T3|Zac Majors

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/15.4.2019/18:13

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2245019

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190416&gliderclass=hg1

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Monday

Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind around 10 mph.
Surface wind 10 mph northwest.

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 500 fpm
TOL: 3,300’
Wind TOUL: 20 mph, northwest
B/S: 2.2
Surface winds:11 mph northwest

That forecast was brutal. We wouldn't get high, the winds would be strong, the lift wouldn't be that good.

We felt that it just would not be a good day. Blue, no cu's in the forecast, often difficult launch conditions with the westerly component.

Still the task committee called a couple of tasks for the sport class and for the open class, and the safety committee and safety director felt that the launch conditions were good, even with the wind almost directly west.

I'm sixth to launch in the right line at 2:13 PM. April takes me up and waves me off at 2,000' AGL. I search around and find 24 fpm then 45 fpm drifting east southeast at 10 mph and climbing to 2,300', slightly above the altitude that I pinned off at. This is progress.

Push up wind with other pilots to pilots circling and from 1,100' AGL, climb back again to pin off altitude at 113 fpm. Do this a couple more times not getting quite so low and then down to 1,400' AGL hook into a reasonable thermal at 230 fpm and climb to 3,200' drifting downwind outside the start cylinder to the east southeast at 3:00 PM, so over 45 minutes in the start cylinder basically just trying to stay up. The day has fulfilled the prognosis.

I climb a little more to 3,500' and then head out to the south southwest with others. Today is a day to stay with your friends. No cu's to mark lift. You've got to be careful and use other pilots to indicate where the lift is. Also hold on to any lift. Weak lift is better than no lift or worse.

The wind is pushing us hard to the east but we are slowly working our way west toward the course line. Pilots are pretty scattered but there are a few to hang with. The next four thermals: 150 fpm, 2,800' top, 83 fpm, 2,300' top, 44 fpm, 2,400' top, 106 fpm, 2500' top. These get us to highway 474. Not getting high reduces the chances of finding the next lift, but we seem to get lucky and there is lift out there.

I hook up with Richard Lovelace, Andrew Hollidge, and Malcolm Brown, the UK contingent. We work 101 fpm, 2,600', 123 fpm, 2,200', 166 fpm, 2,800', 176 fpm, 2,800'. That's 13 kilometers from 474 to Dean Still Road. The lift is getting better. We approach the left side of the 5 km cylinder around the Fantasy of Flight and find 196 fpm to 3,000' in a 14 mph cross wind breeze.

We split up and cross Interstate 4. I follow Andrew Hollidge toward some nice looking open fields after flying over lots of forested areas. He's getting lower and lower and I'm getting skeptical. I spot buzzard heading to the northwest (as I head southeast) and turn to follow him. He looks like he's on a mission and indeed he is. He finds the lift and I find it with him.

It's 265 fpm to 3,700', the highest point of the day, the best lift of the day, and only 30 kilometers from goal.

Now the trick is to stay high enough to be able to get to one of the few landing areas as I'm now alone and over built up housing areas. Thankfully there are a few open fields that allow for a reasonable search for thermals. The best lift seems to be downwind of the small lakes. You can see all the wind on the lakes and all the thermals that interrupt the smooth flow of the wind across the lakes.

About twenty kilometers out from goal I'm joined by Bruce Barmakian and Andrew Hollidge coming in at my altitude. We work broken lift often less than 100 fpm to stay between 2,600' and 2,900'. We're right on the course line in spite of the cross wind.

Twelve kilometers out we find 196 fpm and go on glide from 2,900'. It's good all the way into goal.

This day seems totally impossible. How could we get to Lake Wales in a strong cross wind with no cu's and rarely getting over 3,000? I just can't believe that we did it. We were obviously very lucky. Andrew said it was because we were willing to hang on to the lightest lift, like they do in England.

I certainly never ventured out in front and only went off on my own when the leader looked like he was in trouble and I saw a sign of good lift.

Five of the pilots making goal were flying the new Wills Wing T3's.

https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/results

Task 1:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 Zac Majors Wills Wing T3 144 01:55:40 682
2 Olav Opsanger Moyes RX 3.5 Pro 01:56:32 674
3 Bruce Barmakian Aeros Combat 12.7 02:13:26 616
4 Andrew Hollidge Wills Wing T3 144 02:14:38 613
5 Davis Straub Wills Wing T3 144 02:18:51 603
6 Richard Lovelace Wills Wing T3 144 02:19:24 602
7 Larry Bunner Wills Wing T3 144 02:19:32 601
8 Jonny Durand Moyes RX 4 Pro 02:26:00 587

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

April 14, 2019, 6:09:26 pm EDT

2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

No task on the first day of week 1

record|US Nationals 2019|weather

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Today

A slight chance of showers between 11am and 1pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Windy, with a south southeast wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Surface wind 15 - 18 mph south southwest gusting to 20 – 24 mph.

At 8 am wind is 8 mph, as per forecasted

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 600 fpm
TOL: 5,300’
Wind TOUL: 35 mph, south
B/S: 2.5
Surface winds: 18 mph south
Cloud base at 4,600’.

It rained a couple of times and there was some wind, but not as much as forecasted (the record from Leesburg airport):

Time
(edt)
Wind
(mph)
17:53 SW 13 G 21
16:53 S 10
15:53 S 10 G 21
14:53 S 13
13:53 S 10
12:53 S 17 G 23
11:53 S 14
10:53 S 12 G 21
09:53 S 14 G 22

The task was cancelled.

Getting ready for the ⁢2019 Nationals (pre-Worlds)

Fri, Apr 12 2019, 11:01:40 pm EDT

We fly to Keystone, 150 km.

Bruce Barmakian|Gary Anderson|Larry Bunner|PG|Tullio Gervasoni|US Nationals 2019|weather|Wilotree Park

The flight:

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/12.4.2019/16:17

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2243108

The forecast:

https://OzReport.com/seweather.php

Today

Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Surface wind 8 mph south southeast

HRRR 3, noon:

Updraft velocity: 500 fpm (other models show 600 fpm)
TOL: 3,600’ (other models show 4,000’ – 5,000’)
Wind TOUL: 19 mph, south southeast
B/S: 2.7
Surface winds: 8 mph south southeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 800 fpm
TOL: 7,000’
Wind TOUL: 11 mph, south southeast
B/S: 10.0
Surface winds: 10 mph south southeast
Cloud base at 6,300’
Convergence east of highway 301. Earlier starts preferred given southwest flows approaching course line after 3 pm.

Task:

Quest, 5000 m
Keystone, 400 m

Weather Underground showed rain at 2 PM north northeast of Ocala.

Larry Bunner launches first and I'm right behind him at 12:17 PM. Larry finds lift on the southwest corner of Wilotree Park and we climb at 200 fpm to 3,200'. That's not that great an altitude for our first jump over Groveland.

We head for a little cu that doesn't fulfill its promises and immediately turn west to get over the chicken coops and under some good looking cu's that indeed are working. We leave at near cloud base at 3,200' and find less than 100 fpm to the north under cu's. I finally chance it out further north and at 1,800' hit 600 fpm that averages 200 fpm over the climb to 4,400'. Larry joins me. We are drifting in a 10 mph south southeast wind just south of the Turnpike.

There is a series of dark cu's on a line paralleling the Turnpike to the northwest (which is where we want to go anyway), so we fly under them keeping our altitude loses in check and then find weak lift over the prisons. We continue to climb in weak lift checking all around under the sky full of cu's for better lift. We keep drifting to the north northwest just staying above 2,600' and sampling the lift that is on offer.

Finally, northwest of Wildwood, we find 300 fpm to 4,800'. Larry finds some better lift and is above me but when he leads out to the next thermal he doesn't find it at first and loses enough altitude to just get below me. I carefully milk the weak lift while he charges on ahead toward east Ocala. I'm able to stay high.

Working a couple of hundred feet per minute west of Leeward I see Larry coming back south under me to get over the sunlit fields and to get back up before going over the area of few landing spots. I'm high enough at 4,900' to head for the two fires that are burning the underbrush in the Ocala National Forest. I find 300 fpm just on the south side of the smoke plumes while Larry struggles to get up 9 km south of me.

By the time Larry gets up and to the smoke plumes, Tullio, Gary Anderson, and Mick Howard have caught up with him. I dawdle along hoping for Larry to catch up with me so that we can fly together. He can hear me on his radio, but his mic isn't working.

I fly to a dark cloud street going from the south southeast to the north northwest. It goes out over the big lakes, but for now it is a good path. I look ahead for where I can jump to the northeast to get under the cloud street to my east. I stay high. I climb to 5,300' at the end of the second cloud street.

I'm 43 km from goal and there is a blue hole in front of me with cu's far (10 km) to the east over swamp lands and the St. Johns River. It looks like the day is going to end soon. I take a 14 km glide with a bit of a turn to the northeast to get under some little wisps over landable fields east of Hawthorne. I'm down to 1,800'. I find 255 fpm under these almost cu's and climb back to 3,700', 27 kilometers from goal.

There continues to be a blue hole between me and the goal, as well as a big lake and lots of forest. I'm on my own as I can't hear from Larry, but he can hear me calling out the locations and climb rates.

I head to the northeast to try to get as near as possible to the cu's in that direction and also to get over landable fields. Down again to 1,800' I find 70 fpm and start turning in a 15 mph south southwest drift over non landable areas:

I'm only able to ride this thermal to 2,500'. The next landable field is 7 kilometers to the north, which to be sure is downwind. I don't want to chance it and head upwind to the fields just to my south.

I decide which field to land in but before I do I check out the possible lift to the south and east of the field. I can see good looking cu's overhead and a very small fire. I get there with 1,200' to find 260 fpm Climbing to 3,600' I'm confident of making the next landable field and keep searching for better lift.

I spot Gary Anderson to the north and get under him in a thermal going up at 400 fpm. This is way more than I need to get to goal.

Larry has caught me and made it in already. Garry gets there and after me Tullio and Mick. Later Bruce Barmakian who started much later and Phillip Michaud who flew from Wallaby.

The cost of getting you in the air

Mon, Apr 8 2019, 7:46:39 am EDT

At the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Jim Prahl|tow

Jim Prahl «Jim Prahl

Total income. $7,677.00

Tow fees expenses. There were some fees/ accounting with Square so the numbers are slightly off on the total income. Off by $27.00

Plane Fuel $693.54
Tug Pilots(4) $2,800.00 $(700.00 each for the meet)
Tow planes (4). $4,000.00 (Tow planes usually cost $2,000.00 - $2,500.00 per meet)

For this meet tow plane owners get $1,000.00 each for the meet) Normally for up to 20 paying pilots we would have used two planes and tow to 2,000.00-2,500 feet.

So the tug owners received significantly less than what they would normally expect for a meet with actually 18 paying pilots and 11 non paying mentors. It was originally assumed that we would use three tugs and three pilots, but we turned out to need to use four even though pilots were supposed to be restricted to one tow to 4,000' only so as to not have to do continual relights for sport class pilots.

Pilot tow fee was $425.

Discuss "The cost of getting you in the air" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

April 1, 2019, 7:47:12 EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

People told us that they had a great time

Belinda Boulter|Bob "Skydog" Grant|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019

There were 29 pilots including eleven mentors, and 29 volunteers, tug pilots, and others that contributed to the meet.

Our co-organizer and safety director for the GSSK:

Thanks to Bob Grant.

Discuss "2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic" at the Oz Report forum   link»

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 30, 2019, 11:54:40 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Task 5

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|PG|weather|Wilotree Park

With this forecast we called a straight task to the Leeward Airfield to the north northwest:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning.
Surface winds, 7 mph, southeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 735 fpm
TOL: 6,300’
Wind TOUL: 1 mph, south
Surface winds: 7 mph, southeast
B/S: 10
Cloudbase 6,300’, 43 degrees

The winds at 2,000' and 4,000' looked to be 9 to 10 mph out of the southeast. The TOL winds forecast appeared to be an anomaly.

The winds were 8 to 9 mph out of the southeast as we launched.

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2233298

My mentees were Richard Westmoreland and Stephan Mentler and we along with Mitch Shipley's crew climbed up at over 300 fpm to over 6,000' under a dark cu that had just formed over Wilotree Park. I pinned off early as I couldn't see the point of towing out of the lift, so I would have to climb up below my mentees who got to 6,400'.

The sky was once again full of cu's and we were once again quite high so it was time to head to the northwest following the cloud street a little west of the course line. We told pilots at the pilot meeting to go up to 9 km west of the course line for the best route (generally), but, of course, follow the clouds.

It was a 9 km glide to the nursery west northwest of Mascotte, where we climbed at 270 fpm on average together to 5,600'. I headed out in front to find the next lift and lost 2,000' in 9 km at the southeast end of the forested area south of the prisons. I was working 50 fpm when I spotted Richard twirling upwind of me coming my way. I joined him lift we averaged 600 fpm to 6,400'. Stephan came in under us but didn't find that strong core.

I headed out again toward the prisons under the cloud street. I had advised pilots to stay east of the prison and not over the forested area. We flew to the west side of the prisons and right over the forested area because that's where the clouds were. 9 km later I was back down to 3,700' on the south side of the prisons. Richard would come along three minutes later only 300' lower.

We spent over 20 minutes working cruddy lift to 5,200' for Richard and 6,100' for me. We hooked up with Mitch and Jon Irlbeck who we had passed early in the light after they launched right in front of us. Everyone was just climbing way too slowly for my comfort. Stephan came in under us but did not spend 20 minutes climbing in the cruddy lift.

I headed out with Richard behind to the north northwest toward the nearest next cloud. I found the tiniest amount of lift. Richard turned to the north northeast just before I got to the cloud. He was at 3,200'. I was at 4,600'. I headed north as he headed across the Turnpike toward the town of Wildwood to my east about a kilometer.

A three kilometer glide and I found 160 fpm at 4,000' (losing only 600') as I kept my eye on my mentee. I was soon to hear that Stephan had landed south of the Turnpike after losing patience with the awful lift.

Richard went right over the packed residential area of Wildwood at 2,500'. Over down town at 1,500' (no nearby landing areas). He was just west of the railroad tracks at 1,000'. I could see his dark shadow below him.

It looked to me viewing from the west a kilometer and climbing above 4,000' that he would land on a clearing at the edge of the railroad track. Nope, he was 400' AGL.

He went over a small field surrounded by trees and two buildings and averaged zero climb for a few turns and then dropping out of the lift, went north to a good field and landed. I frankly could not believe it. There is no way I would have gone in that direction over the town at that altitude. If he had just gone north with me he would have found wide open fields and the opportunity to climb back up again.

I spotted Mitch and Jon upwind of me and went back to help Jon. But he was climbing so slowly that I figured that Mitch could continue with him and I went off looking for other mentees as mine had both landed. I just had not been enough help for them.

I found another mentee just to the north and he was doing okay. I showed him where the good lift was but he insisted on flying upwind while the thermal drifted to the north. Okay, I see that I can't help you even though you can see me turning.

I found 300 fpm a little further north climbed up and zoomed into goal.

A whole bunch of pilots made goal, although Jon was not quite there.

We decided to score the ATOS gliders separately without a handicap. Oded and Jim Kolynich kindly agreed to that. We would have done this initially but Jim flew his Sport 3 on the first days before switching.

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

Task 5:

# Name Nat Glider Time Distance Total
1 Richard Milla GBR Wills Wing U2 145 02:12:37 62.50 1000
2 Richard Caylor USA Moyes Gecko 170 02:19:12 62.50 921
3 Soham Mehta IND Wills Wing U2 145 02:25:46 62.50 875
4 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145 02:43:30 62.50 778
5 Jon Irlbeck USA Wills Wing Sport 2 155   48.90 520

Final:

# Name Nat Glider Total
1 Jon Irlbeck USA Wills Wing Sport 2 155 2351
2 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145 2350
3 Richard Caylor USA Moyes Gecko 170 2292
4 Richard Milla GBR Wills Wing U2 145 2094
5 Stephan Mentler USA Icaro MastR 2040
6 John Alden USA Wills Wing U2 145 2012
7 Richard Westmoreland USA Wills Wing U2 145 1978
8 Ken Millard USA Moyes Gecko 155 1916
9 Philipp Neumann GER Airwave Concept 1828
10 Soham Mehta IND Wills Wing U2 145 1754

A one point difference between first and second place.

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 30, 2019, 9:42:42 EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Follow the tracks from task 4 and 5

https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/GSSK2019/task4/

https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/GSSK2019/task5/

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 29, 2019, 11:20:12 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Going west

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|PG

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2231658

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190330&gliderclass=hg1

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/29.3.2019/18:18

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 29, 2019, 10:44:58 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Task 4, Lake effect

April Mackin|competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden|Mark Dowsett|Wilotree Park

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

Thank goodness we are being towed to 4,000'. I hadn't taken advantage of this, but today I did because I needed the altitude to get me and Jon Irlbeck, my mentee, out and away from Wilotree Park. In a hurry.

At the Green Swamp we launch as teams. Our team, Ken Millard, Mark Dowsett, mentor, Jon Irlbeck, and me, additional floating mentor, were second to last to launch an hour after the launch window opened. For the first time in the first hours three pilots suddenly landed back at Wilotree Park just as we were getting up to the launch box. Jim Kolynich on an ATOS got really low but recovered.

There were plenty of cu's before, but now it was blue to the east. I said to those around me, "Lake Effect." This means that the big lakes to the east are cutting off the lift. The wind was out of the east at about 9 mph.

Ken and Mark were launched then after a little wait, Jon and I. April Mackin towed me up brilliantly right behind Jon and when we got near 4,000' she put me next to Jon. I pinned of at 3,900' just below Jon and upwind a bit, but before I did I told him on the radio to turn and go west, immediately, as fast as he could.

As we were towing up we passed through Mark and Ken over Wilotree Park at 2,000'. They would soon land.

Unlike most mentees, Jon immediately followed my admonition and we were soon rewarded with light lift. It wasn't great but at least we were going up and not landing back at Wilotree Park. This was the key that set the day up for Jon.

I found -15 fpm, then 65 fpm, and finally 150 fpm on my way to the first turnpoint at the intersection of highway 50 and 469, 12 km from the start point. I circled into the turnpoint at 3,800'.

Heading downwind down the course line I could see that the lumber yard, the second turnpoint, was in the middle of a large area of shade. There was a huge dark cloud centered right over it. To the north there were other cu's and lots of sunlight on the ground. I could see a very small fire with much more smoke than fire and near by a nice looking, very dark, but smallish cu. I don't have a lot of luck finding lift over fires, especially very small one, but as it was closer than the cu, I headed for it first.

Down to 2,600' I found 300 fpm over it and drifted downwind with the thermal. Drifting a little further downwind I ran into 800 fpm on my 20 second averager under the dark cu. It looked like Jim Kolynich saw that I was climbing and came in way low below me. It looked like I was getting to help two mentors. Jon could hear me on the radio calling out lift and position.

I was going to blow off the second turnpoint at the lumber yard as I had already drifted downwind and being a mentor I was not being scored, but with this big climb I saw no reason not to go back upwind and from 3 km passed the turnpoint cylinder tag it before heading for the next one. Besides, I might run into Jon or another menteee that I could help.

It cost me only 1,400'.  I came back downwind to get under Jim who had climbed up in the meantime. Kolynich flew off, but I was soon back to 5,500'.

Heading toward the third turnpoint at the Gross airfield I could see that there was a lot of blue on the way. There were cu's to the south of the course line, but with the 13 mph wind they were moving away from me quickly. I had to turn a bit to the north to be sure to tag the turnpoint before I blew past it (like the last one), but that sent me into the blue. I was looking to the west at the river surrounded by trees up ahead.

There was a nice looking black cu downwind of the turnpoint and a few fields that I go use for landing just before the river. Down to 1,800' I came in under the upwind side of the good looking cu and bam there was 600 fpm. The rough thermal averaged 500 fpm and I took it to 4,500', which was more than enough to get over all the trees to the west and into goal.

Oded was there when I got there, but I wasn't pleased with the field that he landed in so landed further west in a field with some random small trees that didn't provide too many obstacles. It was great to see that Jon Irlbeck made it later, for his first goal finish. Looks like a number of Mentees made it in.

Task 4:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Oded Kalir Atos VQ 01:01:19 52.48 619
2 Stephan Mentler Icaro MastR 01:35:44 52.48 611
3 Jon Irlbeck Wills Wing Sport 2 155 02:09:54 52.48 516
4 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170   34.10 401
5 James Kolynich ATOS 01:44:12 52.48 398

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Ken Millard Moyes Gecko 155 1611
2 John Alden Wills Wing U2 145 1608
3 Jon Irlbeck Wills Wing Sport 2 155 1476
4 Abhishek Sethi Wills Wing U2 145 1440
5 Oded Kalir Atos VQ 1422
6 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 1357
7 Philipp Neumann Airwave Concept 1339
8 Stephan Mentler Icaro MastR 1274
9 Richard Caylor Moyes Gecko 170 1217
10 Rick Maddy Wills Wing U2 160 1030

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 28, 2019, 9:25:26 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Again strong winds

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|weather

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|weather

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|weather

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

Forecast in the morning:

https://ozreport.com/seweather.php

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Northeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Surface winds 17 mph gusting to 24 mph northeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 775 fpm
TOL: 6,600’
Wind TOUL: 24 mph, northeast
Surface winds: 14 mph, northeast
B/S: 5.8

Cloudbase 6,000’, 40 degrees

The winds at the Leesburg airfield during the day:

Time Wind
5 PM E 13 G 23
4 PM NE 18 G 23
3 PM NE 21 G 26
2 PM NE 17 G 23
1 PM NE 16 G 21
Noon NE 17 G 23

We decided to wait until Friday and Saturday to continue the competition. The forecast on Thursday night:

Friday

Sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Surface winds 8 - 9 mph east northeast

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 755 fpm
TOL: 7,000’
Wind TOUL: 10 mph, east northeast
Surface winds: 9 mph, east northeast
B/S: 10
Cloudbase 6,600’

Saturday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning.

Surface winds 6 mph east southeast decreasing to 3 mph

NAM 12, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 675 fpm
TOL: 6,000’
Wind TOUL: 3 mph, south southwest
Surface winds: 2 mph, southeast
B/S: 10
Cloudbase, 5,300’

Still a possible around the Green Swamp day.

We look forward to the forecasted great conditions.

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 27, 2019, 9:27:40 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Practice day video

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|video

https://youtu.be/2D-qk22oKgE

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 27, 2019, 2:08:44 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Follow the tracks from day 3

Main Page: https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/

https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/GSSK2019/task3/

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 27, 2019, 9:22:10 EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Rain and high winds

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

The day is canceled early due to rain and forecast for high winds. The high winds and gusts are already being reported just to our north at the Leesburg airport.

The pilots flying down to Wallaby Ranch on Tuesday.

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 26, 2019, 10:09:10 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Day three results

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|USHPA|Wilotree Park

First of all thanks so much to our sponsors who are providing the day prizes for the sport pilots: Flytec, Moyes, Wills Wing, the USHPA, Stephan Mentler, and the Flying Gypsies. Also thanks to all our volunteers, as many as their are pilots (not including the mentors) and thanks to all our volunteer mentors, who are doing the work of getting their pilots to goal.

Here was "my" forecast for the day:

Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. West northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Surface winds 10 mph at 2 pm, west northwest from noon until 7 PM

HRRR 3, 2 PM:

Updraft velocity: 800 fpm
TOL: 7,300’
Wind TOUL: 20 mph, west
Surface winds: 11 mph, west northwest
B/S: 7.6

Skew-T: Cloudbase: 5,500’, 49 degrees

With strong west winds it can be turbulent getting out of the field heading west from the east launch. Fortunately the winds were more in the range of 6 mph on the ground. Some pilots had turbulent tows, others, like me, had very smooth tows.

Tim took me right up a line of lift, registering 900 fpm on a tug that can only climb at 400 fpm. I pinned off a little above two thousand feet less than a kilometer on the upwind side of Wilotree Park and starting circling in about 200 fpm lift while drifting quickly to the southeast.  Other pilots, who were being towed to four thousand feet, were being towed far to the west past Osborn field to get them upwind.

The cu's were lined up and there was lots of vertical development which leads to black cloud bottoms. We haven't seen such development so far this year.

My radio battery was on the fritz, so I couldn't track my mentees.  I watched the pilots out to the west struggle as I climbed to 3,300' near cloudbase.

The wind was about 8 mph out of the west northwest. I pushed upwind to work weak lift, less than or about 100 fpm, staying above 3,000' and working my way up a few hundred feet in each thermal before proceeding again south and west to the next good looking cu.

I spotted Mitch Shipley with a mentee or maybe two (one was very low) a little further to the southwest. This was my chance to get into the game of helping a mentee or two. I found lift before I got to them and climbed to 3,900' with them just below me.

I headed up under a dark cloud street to get upwind as far as possible and to stay high as I watched them climb downwind of me. I waited until they got high and both came toward me.

I flew back to them but only spotted the mentee. I headed out and he followed. It was a mistake to not find Mitch, but perhaps he went back to his mentee who was low, but soon landed.

The mentee followed me to his doom. I headed for the next dark cloud but unlike in the first part of the flight it was too far away. He pealed off as I got down to 1,500' on the east side of the Green Swamp under broken clouds with the dark cloud more upwind.

As I watched him land I headed back down wind and not finding anything landed near highway 33 in a huge field with no noticeable wind at all (and none during the whole time I took to break down).

Mitch stayed up and was able to make it to goal at Wallaby (there was a 5 km turnpoint cylinder around the intersection of highways 474 and 33). A couple of the mentees also made it to goal, with Richard Milla winning the day and Oded Kalir in second.

We were originally quite concerned that the west winds would lead to too much turbulence coming out of the field, but that was not the case in general. The strong lift did cause turbulence on tow to a few pilots.

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

Task 3:

# Name Nat Glider Time Distance Total
1 Richard Milla GBR Wills Wing U2 145 01:11:47 33.08 329
2 Oded Kalir USA Atos VQ 01:17:25 33.08 217
3 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145   17.27 177
4 Richard Caylor USA Moyes Gecko 170   15.13 166
5 Philipp Neumann GER Airwave Concept   7.30 119
5 Rick Maddy USA Wills Wing U2 160   7.22 119
7 Soham Mehta IND Wills Wing U2 145   7.00 118
8 Ken Millard USA Moyes Gecko 155   6.50 114

Cumulative:

# Name Nat Glider Total
1 Ken Millard USA Moyes Gecko 155 1278
2 John Alden USA Wills Wing U2 145 1121
3 Bent Kaaber USA Wills Wing U2 899
4 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145 867
5 Philipp Neumann GER Airwave Concept 838
6 Jon Irlbeck USA Wills Wing Sport 2 155 793
7 Richard Westmoreland USA Wills Wing U2 145 786
8 Richard Milla GBR Wills Wing U2 145 713
9 Oded Kalir USA Atos VQ 695
10 Stephan Mentler USA Icaro MastR 578

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 26, 2019, 9:44:22 EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

The tracks reviewed

Task 1 and 2 maps have been posted:

Main Page: https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/

Task 1: https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/GSSK2019/task1/

Task 2: https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/GSSK2019/task2/

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 26, 2019, 7:53:42 EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Day two

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden|Larry Bunner

Bobby Bailey|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden|Larry Bunner

We had a forecast of southwest winds turning west as the day wore on. Less than 10 mph on the ground, but up to almost 20 mph west up above near cloudbase. The forecast also called for good lift and cu's and cloudbase around 5,000', so a good day. But we were perplexed as to where to launch from.

Bobby Bailey said launch from the northeast corner as the wind kept coming much more from the south than the southwest or west and that is what we did. We got off all the competitors before the wind went strong from the west and launched everyone else from the east end of the east/west runway.

It's still taking a long time to launch everyone and drag them to 4,000'. Most of the mentors get off early and climb up. I took two flights as after climbing up to 2,400' on the first flight. I then went up wind and didn't find anything.

A good number of pilots got up and out. A number landed back at Wilotree. The lift was broken and often not that strong in the wind. I only experienced at 9 mph out of the west in the air.

The task was to go north to a turnpoint at the Turnpike and highway 33 and Larry Bunner mentioned that as he headed north he had a tail wind, which then became a quartering tail wind from the south west and then was a cross wind from the west as the day proceeded. The second leg was to the south east to Gator field. A short task but we can hardly go east at all given the Orlando airspace.

None of the mentees made it to goal although Mitch and Fabiano did. Larry who almost made goal said that he saw Mick over goal but he hadn't made the turnpoint yet. The wind was much more west later in the day and Mick launched almost last.

John Alden won the day with Mitch hanging with him most of the way.

The lift was pretty broken up and weak, both times I flew. Mitch had to dig himself back out from not finding lift after getting over 5,000' over Wilotree Park and then heading upwind into nothing (which is what I did also, but from a lot lower). Larry Bunner reported 700 fpm early in his flight. The changing wind direction no doubt was a factor in the changing climb rates.

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 26, 2019, 7:53:17 EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Results from the first two days

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

Task 2:

# Name Nat Glider Distance Total
1 John Alden USA Wills Wing U2 145 23.19 356
2 Philipp Neumann GER Airwave Concept 22.70 351
3 Richard Westmoreland USA Wills Wing U2 145 21.55 336
4 Soham Mehta IND Wills Wing U2 145 15.44 254
5 Richard Caylor USA Moyes Gecko 170 11.67 216
6 Jon Irlbeck USA Wills Wing Sport 2 155 10.76 204
7 Ken Millard USA Moyes Gecko 155 8.99 180
8 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145 7.66 160
9 Richard Milla GBR Wills Wing U2 145 5.22 119
10 Attila Plasch USA Moyes Litesport 4 5.00 115

Cumulative:

# Name Nat Glider Total
1 Ken Millard USA Moyes Gecko 155 1180
2 John Alden USA Wills Wing U2 145 1064
3 Bent Kaaber USA Wills Wing U2 799
4 Philipp Neumann GER Airwave Concept 760
5 Richard Westmoreland USA Wills Wing U2 145 726
6 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145 702
7 Jon Irlbeck USA Wills Wing Sport 2 155 692
8 Oded Kalir USA Atos VQ 475
9 Stephan Mentler USA Icaro MastR 473
10 Rick Maddy USA Wills Wing U2 160 425

Yes, John Alden was second on the first day.

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 25, 2019, 7:24:37 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Just before the start

Belinda Boulter|Bob "Skydog" Grant|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019

The bonfire, goes every night, thanks to Flying Gypies:

Photo by Belinda Boulter, the Safety Director for the Green Swamp Sport Klassic.

The practice day, photo by Bob Grant.

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2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 25, 2019, 6:19:04 pm EDT

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

First day preliminary results

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|John Alden

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

# Name Nat Glider Time Distance Total
1 Ken Millard USA Moyes Gecko 155 03:12:36 103.25 1000
2 Bent Kaaber USA Wills Wing U2   73.26 686
3 Abhishek Sethi IND Wills Wing U2 145   55.44 562
4 Jon Irlbeck USA Wills Wing Sport 2 155   42.01 507
5 Oded Kalir USA Atos VQ   72.43 477
6 Philipp Neumann GER Airwave Concept   35.70 434
7 Richard Westmoreland USA Wills Wing U2 145   33.38 416
8 Rick Maddy USA Wills Wing U2 160   25.25 346
9 James Kolynich USA Wills Wing Sport 3 135   23.14 338
10 Attila Plasch USA Moyes Litesport 4   21.05 301

John Alden hasn't sent in his track log yet and was probably second or third.

Flying to Williston

Mon, Mar 25 2019, 9:23:16 am EDT

The first task for the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

John Alden|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019

http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/2226062

http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=22&date=20190325&gliderclass=hg1

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/24.3.2019/18:11

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national:US

We got one sport class pilot to goal, Ken Millard on a Gecko, a number of others close.

I joined the team with Mitch Shipley as the mentor, John Alden and Rick Maddy.

I was off at the front of the team. I should have launched after the others because although I got off way early at 1,300', I circled up to over 5,000' at cloud base and drifted far to the northwest. Mitch made it up with me and then went back to join the mentees over Wilotree Park. They were let off of tow at 4,000'. I drifted out ahead and reported back the lift values and top of lift. The wind was 10 to 13 mph out of the southeast.

Pilots were scattered due to the amount of time taken to get each team up to 4,000'. The sky was full of good looking cu's and it was easy to connect up with the lift. as I headed northwest over open lands toward the prisons. After climbing up at the Okahumpka service plaza on the Florida Turnpike I headed west northwest to get under darker looking clouds by Coleman. There are fewer landing areas there but the clouds looked good.

The lift was less than 50 fpm. I was down to 3,200' and headed north after some fruitless turning. The mentees were just south of the prisons. It looked like I could make a landing field just east of the intersection of interstate 75 and the Turnpike. When I got there there was a little lift which quickly disappeared.

Down to 1,400' and dropping at over 400 fpm I headed toward more open fields that promised easy landing. At 600' with a 12 mph southeast wind I noticed a bit of lift over two sets of high tension power lines. I turned. For the first minute there was no gain in altitude, but I had quit falling at 400 fpm. Slowly I began to climb and drift toward additional open fields.

Behind me Rick was going down near the prisons. Mitch was climbing out from less than 1000' after going out in front of the mentees to find lift.

The lift slowly improved and I was able to climb to 3,500' before shifting over to the west a bit and then climbing to 5,400'. I was south of Marion Oaks and Mitch was just 5 kilometers behind with John Alden.

Down to 3,100' within the south side of Marion Oaks with possible landing fields far away I found more lift and soon was flying between 5,200' and 6,200' as cloud base was rising. It was easy to get over the trees and housing developments to get the turnpoint 7 kilometers around Dunellon. John Alden would land near the optimized waypoint around Dunellon not much later.

The sea breeze was beginning to influence the air and the cu's. I was right on the edge of it so the air turned a little bit turbulent. Soon after the turnpoint I climbed to 5,800' and went on glide to goal. Mitch wasn't too far behind. A bunch of mentors made it to goal and one mentee, Ken Millard on his new Moyes Gecko.

We rushed out of the goal field to go get John Alden. Unfortunately, he had landed two miles behind a locked gate. We walked quickly west into the sunset with my kayak carrier wheels and Mitch and I ran back with the glider and harness. John, with his bad knees, took longer to get through the four gates, and it was pitch black before we were on the road again. We picked up Stephane Mentler after he waited 4 hours a little closer to Wilotree Park. Got home at 10:30 PM.

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Please support the Oz Report

March 11, 2019, 8:25:36 EDT

Please support the Oz Report

Davis Straub|Ken Kinzie|Mark Tulloch|Oz Report|Wilotree Park

Davis Straub|Ken Kinzie|Mark Tulloch|Oliver Gregory|Oz Report|Wilotree Park

Am I just a jerk?

Well someone else wrote in about my bad behavior. Then later that day I heard a story about another person who was being a dick. A real dick. I realized that I'm not a dick, just a jerk.

Thanks for the very generous support from Mark Tulloch, Efrain Garza, Oliver Gregory, Ben Reese, Ken Kinzie, and Carlos Schmitz.

So to continue...

This is the month where I ask Oz Report readers for their support. Your contribution pays for hosting our web site and for Gerry's technical support to keep it running.

Here are our supporters: http://ozreport.com/supporters.php

As you know, all we are asking for is a subscription payment of $20/year.

Seems simple enough. Like most content on the internet, you get to read the Oz Report for free. The trouble for us, not you, is that there are not enough hang glider pilots in this world to make advertising pay for our web hosting costs.

Please, help us out. Support something that you find useful so that it can continue to be there for you.

Options:

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If you can contribute from your PayPal Balance or from your bank account that is connected to your PayPal account, please do, as this incurs no PayPal fee.

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4) If you’d rather just send a check for $20 or more (US Dollars only, please), please feel free to do so.

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Davis Straub (Not to the Oz Report)
6548 Groveland Airport Road
Groveland, FL 34736

If you send a physical check, be sure to send me your email address so that I can register you as a subscriber.

These are our supporters (if you are not on the list and have donated to the Oz Report, email me and I'll make sure that you are recognized): http://ozreport.com/supporters.php. Some of you who I've missed in the past did write to me and made sure I knew just how important the Oz Report was to them. If I've missed you, please do tell me.

5) Another option. Come over to the Oz Report support web page and sign up to support us: http://ozreport.com/support.php. Or click here:

Thanks to all our supporters  http://ozreport.com/supporters.php who have kept us going and paying our bills over the last twenty three years.

6) If you use the "Cash" App, send to .

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8) Come on over to the Oz Report World Headquarters situated at Wilotree Park, identify yourself, and "show me the money." We're in the brown Spartan 5th wheel facing the lake.

Discuss "Please support the Oz Report" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Prepping for the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Mon, Feb 11 2019, 8:44:46 am EST

Checking out the tracks from 2018

Eduardo Fonseca|Airtribune|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|IGC

Fonseca, Eduardo «eduardo.fonseca-1

In prep for the GSSK comp I built this map views with the IGC tracks for the top 5 pilots from the 2018 GSSK edition. Airtribune tracking/map features just doesn’t work for me at all, so I built my own (more portable than Google Earth and mobile-friendly). Hopefully Live Tracking some day.

https://f0n.github.io/GSSK/

We'll have an approximation of live tracking for the GSSK.

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info

Discuss "Prepping for the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

Sport 3 and Gecko Pilots

Mon, Feb 11 2019, 8:44:12 am EST

Come fly in Sport Class

Quest Air|USHPA|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019

The Sport Class is getting very popular. Pilots love flying the king posted gliders with their easy handling and landing characteristics. Many pilots are turning to these gliders to make flying more fun.

If you are a Gecko or Sport 3 pilot (or you fly any other king posted glider) you might think about flying in Sport Class Competitions. There are plenty of them, not just here in the US, but world wide. Sport Class competition builds camaraderie and all the pilots appear to love doing it.

Check out the Green Swamp Sport Klassic: https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info as well as the other comps linked to here: https://OzReport.com/Ourcompetitions.php. There will also be sport class competitions in the US here: https://airtribune.com/east-coast-championship-2019/info/details__info and https://airtribune.com/santa-cruz-flats-race-mark-knight-memorial-2019/info/details__info.

Sport Class rules for our competitions:

Pilot qualification: Pilots must meet the requirements of minimum hang 3 rating; as well as aerotow (AT), turbulence (TURB) and cross country (XC) sign offs. Aerotow rating or evidence of extensive aerotowing experience. USHPA membership will be required (temporary 30-day memberships will be available at minimal cost on site).

Pilots must not have been listed in the top twenty US pilots since January 2008 for entry into sport class. Pilots must not have finished in the top ⅔rd's of a non-Sport Class Category 1 competition held since January 2014, for entry into sport class.

The Sport Class competitions at the Quest Air Nationals are the pre-Worlds for the 2020 Sport Class Worlds.

Discuss "Sport 3 and Gecko Pilots" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

January 30, 2019, 9:20:37 EST

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

The tee-shirt

Discuss "2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Our competitions »

Wed, Dec 19 2018, 10:01:45 am EST

Listed

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pan-Americans 2020|Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|Wilotree Park XC 2019|Worlds 2020|XC 101 Clinic 2019

On Airtribune (where you register):

2019 Wilotree Park Cross Country

2019 Cross Country 101 Clinic details

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic details

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 1) (pre-Worlds) details

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) details

2019 Big Spring Nationals (Pre-Pan-Americans) details

2020 World Championships details

1st Pan-American Championships and 2020 Pan-Americans details

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ozreport/events/

2019 Cross Country Clinic Wilotree Park
Mar 16, 2019 - Mar 23, 2019 · 5 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic Wilotree Park
Mar 23, 2019 - Mar 30, 2019 · 8 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Pre-Worlds And Quest Air Nationals (week 1) Wilotree Park
Apr 13, 2019 - Apr 20, 2019 · 5 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) Wilotree Park
Apr 20, 2019 - Apr 27, 2019 · 4 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
PRE-PAN-AMERICANS And 2019 Big Spring Nationals BIG Spring Mcmahon–wrinkle Airport
Aug 10, 2019 - Aug 17, 2019 · 2 Friends Are Going Big Spring, Tx
2020 World Hang Gliding Championships Wilotree Park
Apr 19, 2020 - May 1, 2020 · By Oz Report Groveland, Fl
2020 Pan-American Championships BIG Spring Mcmahon–wrinkle Airport
Aug 2, 2020 - Aug 14, 2020 · By Oz Report Big Spring, Tx

Our competitions »

Tue, Dec 18 2018, 1:48:25 pm EST

Listed in every issue

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pan-Americans 2020|Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|Wilotree Park XC 2019|Worlds 2020|XC 101 Clinic 2019

2019 Wilotree Park Cross Country

2019 Cross Country 101 Clinic details

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassicdetails

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 1) (pre-Worlds) details

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) details

2019 Big Spring Nationals (pre-Pan-Americans) details

2020 World Championships details

1st Pan-American Championships and 2020 Pan-Americans details

Oz Report events on Facebook

2019 Cross Country Clinic Wilotree Park
Mar 16, 2019 - Mar 23, 2019 · 5 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic Wilotree Park
Mar 23, 2019 - Mar 30, 2019 · 8 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Pre-Worlds And Quest Air Nationals (week 1) Wilotree Park
Apr 13, 2019 - Apr 20, 2019 · 5 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) Wilotree Park
Apr 20, 2019 - Apr 27, 2019 · 4 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
PRE-PAN-AMERICANS And 2019 Big Spring Nationals BIG Spring Mcmahon–wrinkle Airport
Aug 10, 2019 - Aug 17, 2019 · 2 Friends Are Going Big Spring, Tx
2020 World Hang Gliding Championships Wilotree Park
Apr 19, 2020 - May 1, 2020 · By Oz Report Groveland, Fl
2020 Pan-American Championships BIG Spring Mcmahon–wrinkle Airport
Aug 2, 2020 - Aug 14, 2020 · By Oz Report Big Spring, Tx

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

December 17, 2018, 8:14:04 EST

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Mentored competition, 23 - 30 Mar, 2019

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|weather|Wilotree Park

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info

The weather turns soarable in February/March in Florida and Wilotree Park is a great place for cross country flying.

This is a Sport Class only event. There will be advanced pilot mentors to help with small groups of pilots.

Hang 3 rating (or hang 2 with instructor recommendation) with aerotow sign off is a requirement . Aerotow practice and sign off is available before the competition. Tows outside the competition days are paid for separately.

Live tracking with Flymaster trackers provided.

Discuss "2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic" at the Oz Report forum   link»

2019 Cross Country 101 Clinic »

Fri, Nov 30 2018, 7:16:59 am PST

Get ready to go cross country

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|weather|Wilotree Park|XC 101 Clinic 2019

https://airtribune.com/2019-cross-country-101-clinic/info

https://www.facebook.com/events/1388675041268923

The weather turns soarable in February/March in Florida and Wilotree Park is a great place for cross country flying. This is a perfect opportunity to learn cross country skills and stretch your cross country experience. It is a great warm up to the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic, happening the week after this clinic.

There will be advanced pilot mentors to help with each small groups of pilots. Evening get togethers to go over the day's experience and lessons in using flight instruments and forecasting the weather.

Hang 2 rating with aerotow sign off. Aerotow practice and sign off is available before and during the event.

Events

Wed, Nov 28 2018, 9:11:08 am PST

As listed on Facebook

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pre-Pan-Americans 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|Worlds 2020|XC 101 Clinic 2019

https://www.facebook.com/pg/ozreport/events/

2019 Cross Country Clinic Wilotree Park
Mar 16, 2019 - Mar 23, 2019 · 5 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic Wilotree Park
Mar 23, 2019 - Mar 30, 2019 · 8 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Pre-Worlds And Quest Air Nationals (week 1) Wilotree Park
Apr 13, 2019 - Apr 20, 2019 · 5 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2) Wilotree Park
Apr 20, 2019 - Apr 27, 2019 · 4 Friends Are Going Groveland, Fl
PRE-PAN-AMERICANS And 2019 Big Spring Nationals BIG Spring Mcmahon–wrinkle Airport
Aug 10, 2019 - Aug 17, 2019 · 2 Friends Are Going Big Spring, Tx
2020 World Hang Gliding Championships Wilotree Park
Apr 19, 2020 - May 1, 2020 · By Oz Report Groveland, Fl
2020 Pan-American Championships BIG Spring Mcmahon–wrinkle Airport
Aug 2, 2020 - Aug 14, 2020 · By Oz Report Big Spring, Tx

Even more registrations

Thu, Nov 15 2018, 9:57:50 am PST

Lots of pilots have signed up

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 1) (pre-Worlds)

79 registered, 13 confirmed

2019 Quest Air Nationals (week 2)

52 registered, 9 confirmed

2019 Big Spring Nationals (pre-Pan-Americans)

28 registered, 3 confirmed

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

10 registered, 2 confirmed

Huge turnout for registration

Mon, Nov 12 2018, 9:54:49 am PST

We did not expect this so early.

CIVL|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Pre-Worlds 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|XC 101 Clinic 2019

We opened registration for all our competitions in the first week of November (along with a few glitches). Well, you have responded, and your response is much more than we anticipated. We're able to handle it all, and it is very gratifying to see that so many pilots want to come to our competitions.

Quest Air Nationals and pre-Worlds (week 1): https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-1/info/details__info

67 pilots registered (14 from Brazil, 7 from Canada, 5 from Great Britain, 35 overall from outside the US)

Quest Air Nationals (week 2): https://airtribune.com/2019-quest-air-nationals-week-2/info/details__info

44 pilots registered (15 from Brazil, 3 from Canada, 2 from Great Britain, 24 overall from outside the US)

This really confirms our strategy of holding two one week competitions back to back to encourage non-US-based pilots to come the competitions.

The Cross Country 101 Clinic https://airtribune.com/2019-cross-country-101-clinic/info/details__info

4 pilots registered so far. We have always felt that it would take a while to get this filled out.

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info

10 pilots registered. Last year we had over 50 pilots and 14 mentors. We expect to see similar numbers in 2019

2019 Big Spring Nationals (pre-Pan-Americans) https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/info/details__info

24 pilots registered (10 non-US-based pilots). This competition isn't happening for 9 months so there is the least pressure on pilots to sign up so early. We had 70 pilots in 2018 and we expect even more in 2019 as the pre-Pan-Americans.

We will know in December what our tug resources are and so will keep everyone updated on the total number of places available in all the competitions. If there are limits on the total number of pilots which requires opening a waiting list, we will choose pilots allowed into the competition by the date that they are confirmed.

We have already met all the CIVL requirements for allowing non-US pilots into the competitions thanks to the strong turnout of pilots from Brazil and other countries. Thanks to you.

2019 Big Spring Nationals (and pre-Pan-Americans)

November 8, 2018, 8:31:33 PST

2019 Big Spring Nationals (and pre-Pan-Americans)

Registration is now open

cart|CIVL|Facebook|record|USHPA|US Nationals 2019|weather|World Pilot Ranking Scheme

https://airtribune.com/2019-big-spring-nationals/info/details__info

The 17th Big Spring Nationals, site of the 2007 World Hang Gliding Championship, the finest cross country hang gliding competition site in the World. Big Tasks (world records), smooth thermals, unrestricted landing areas, easy retrieval on multiple roads, consistent cumulus development at 1 PM, air conditioned head quarters, hanger for setup, free water and ice cream, welcome dinner, live tracking, many drivers available, strong safety record, highest pilot satisfaction rating.

Also easy airport access to Midland-Odessa airport, inexpensive accommodations, plentiful infrastructure (restaurants), great community support, superb meet director.

Pay $250 entry fee here: http://ozreport.com/2019BigSpringpay.php

Sign waivers: http://ozreport.com/onlinewaivers.php or: http://ozreport.com/waivers.php

Practice, Check-in and Welcome on Saturday, August 10th.

Live tracking with Flymaster trackers provided.

The competition is USHPA and CIVL sanctioned so USHPA NTSS and CIVL WPRS points will be awarded

Maximum 120 (60 class 1) pilots.

Helpful Instructions: http://ozreport.com/2019BigSpringhelpful.php

• Daily Prizes
• Event Tee-shirt
• Medical Emergency Service
• Food and drink for Competition Opening/Ceremony
• Brunch During Prize-giving Ceremony
• Separate mobile sized web page with organizer contact information
• Weaklinks
• Flymaster Tracker
• Live Tracking
• On-line Turnpoint Coordinates
• On-line airspace file
• On-line task maps
• Free Wi-Fi
• Weather Briefing on Pilots’ Phones
• Task Sent to Pilots’ Phones
• Access to Professional Retrieval Coordinators (Retrieval Goddess’s Retrieval Service)
• Hangar space for setup
• Free ice cream
• Free bottled water
• Use of an air-conditioned terminal/headquarters
• Port-a-potties
• Golf cart retrieval for landing near launch
• Lunch concession
• Pilot goody bags
• Help with finding accommodations

Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/274225953217983/

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

November 6, 2018, 1:39:45 pm PST

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Registration is open

Facebook|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|weather|Wilotree Park

https://airtribune.com/2019-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info

The weather turns soarable in February/March in Florida and Wilotree Park is a great place for cross country flying.

This is a Sport Class only event. There will be advanced pilot mentors to help with small groups of pilots.

Hang 3 rating (or hang 2 with instructor recommendation) with aerotow sign off is a requirement. Aerotow practice and sign off is available before the competition. Tows outside the competition days are paid for separately.

Live tracking with Flymaster trackers provided.

Helpful instructions: http://ozreport.com/2019GreenSwamphelpful.php

Pay Entry Fee Here: $250 (includes $100 Wilotree Park Fee) http://ozreport.com/2019GreenSwamppay.php

Fill out Waivers: http://ozreport.com/onlinewaivers.php or http://ozreport.com/waivers.php

Aeortow fee: $375 (due on check-in at Wilotree Park)

• Daily Prizes
• Event Tee-shirt
• Medical Emergency Service
• Food and drink for Competition Opening/Ceremony
• Weaklinks
• Flymaster Tracker
• Live Tracking
• On-line Turnpoint Coordinates
• On-line airspace file
• On-line task maps
• Free Wi-Fi
• Evening Parties and Entertainment
• Weather Briefing on Pilots’ Phones
• Task Sent to Pilots’ Phones
• Access to Professional Retrieval Coordinators (Retrieval Goddess’s Retrieval Service)
• Wilotree Park (includes access to clubhouse and amenities - e.g. swimming pool, kitchen, pool table, etc.)
• Camping available
• Help with finding accommodations

Facebook Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/331285567419327/

Discuss "2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic" at the Oz Report forum   link»

USHPA Competition Calendar for 2019

Wed, Oct 24 2018, 12:13:52 pm GMT

Approved by the BOD

Applegate Open 2019|Belinda Boulter|East Coast Championships 2019|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Jamie Shelden|Quest Air Nationals 2019|Santa Cruz Flats Race 2019|USHPA|US Nationals 2019|US Open of PG 2019

https://www.ushpa.org/page/competition-calendar

2019 Approved Sanctioned Competitions
2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Hg Race To Goal - At

Location:Quest Air, Sheets Field, Groveland, Florida
Event Dates:March 23 - 30, 2019
Register Dates:November 1, 2018 - March 23, 2019
Organizer:Belinda Boulder | «Belinda»

2019 Quest Air Nationals (PRE-WORLDS) - Week I
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Hg Race To Goal - At

Location:Quest Air, Sheets Field, Groveland, Florida
Event Dates:April 13 - 19, 2019
Register Dates:November 1, 2018 - April 13, 2019
Organizer:Belinda Boulder | «Belinda»

2019 Quest Air Nationals - Week Ii
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Hg Race To Goal - At

Location:Quest Air, Sheets Field, Groveland, Florida
Event Dates:April 20 - 27, 2019
Register Dates:November 1, 2018 - April 20, 2019
Organizer:Belinda Boulder | «Belinda»

2019 East Coast Hang Gliding Championship
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Hg Race To Goal - At

Location: Ridgley, Maryland
Event Dates:June 8 - 15, 2019
Register Dates:November 1, 2018 - May 15, 2019
Organizer:Dan Lukaszewicz | «Lucky_chevy»

2019 Us Open Of Paragliding Chelan
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Pg Race To Goal

Location:Chelan Butte, Chelan, Washington
Event Dates:July 6 - 13, 2019
Register Dates:March 1, 2019 - July 6, 2019
Organizer:Matty Senior | «Mattysenior»

2019 Big Spring Nationals (PRE-PAN-AMERICANS)
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Hg Race To Goal - At

Location:Mcmahon Wrinkle Airport, Big Spring, Texas
Event Dates:August 10 - 17, 2019
Register Dates:November 1, 2018 - August 10, 2019
Organizer:Belinda Boulder | «Belinda»

2019 Santa Cruz Flats Race - Mark Knight Memorial
A Ushpa National Championship Series Event*
Ushpa Sanctioned Hg Race To Goal - At

Location:Francisco Grande Golf Resort, Casa Grande, Az
Event Dates:September 15 - 21, 2019
Register Dates:December 15, 2018 - August 15, 2019
Organizer:Jamie Shelden | «Naughtylawyer»

* Pilots attending a race to goal USHPA National Championship Series event are encouraged to get an FAI Sporting License at least 14 days prior to the event, available through NAA.

Discuss "USHPA Competition Calendar for 2019" at the Oz Report forum   link»

2019 Test Championships »

August 9, 2018, 12:39:33 pm CDT GMT-0500

In Florida and Texas

calendar|Quest Air|Test Championships 2019|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Worlds 2019|Pre-Pan-American Championships 2019

There are two possible test events in 2019 for the 2nd FAI Sport Class, and 14th FAI Women's, and 9th FAI Class 5 World Hang Gliding Championships. The first is the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic. Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 through Saturday, March 30th, 2019 and the second: 2019 Quest Air Nationals, Saturday April 13th through Sunday, April 27th, 2019.

The 2019 Pre-Pan-American and Big Spring Nationals, Saturday, August 10th through 17th, 2019.

This allows for two weeks between the 2019 Worlds in Italy and the 2019 Pre-Pan-American Championships.

https://OzReport.com/calendar.php

Discuss "2019 Test Championships" at the Oz Report forum   link»  

What's the future?

Wed, Jul 25 2018, 7:58:03 am MDT

Looking ahead to 2020

CIVL|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Jamie Shelden|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Quest Air Nationals 2019|US Nationals 2019|World Championships 2020

You might have noted this article https://OzReport.com/22.145#1 which was a call from CIVL to prospective meet organizers about international category 1 competitions in 2020 and 2021. Which means test event next year and in 2020. And CIVL wants to see the bids for those 2020 events within a little over five weeks. For the 2021 events by the end of the year. And preparing a bid is no simple matter.

Doesn't give one much time to plan and think about what pilots might want and that's the first thing a prospective meet organizer needs to look at. Now holding a Category 1 competition in European is a no brainer. The place is stuffed with multiple countries and multiple pilots and they can all get together for a competition. Last week we had the Class 1 European and Class 5 World Championships and next week it is the pre-Worlds. You could easily trip and fall down hurting yourself trying to get around these competitions. This doesn't include the ongoing European Paragliding Championships right now.

But, try to put together a World Championship in the US or other North or South American country and things are a lot tougher. We last held a class 1 Worlds in the US in 2007 in Big Spring, Texas. It was very successful as we have great flying conditions there.

We are right now in the process of creating bids to CIVL for a number of category 1 competitions:

2nd FAI Sport Class, and 14th FAI Women's, and 8th FAI Class 5 World Hang Gliding Championships
Sunday, April 19th, 2020 to Friday May 1st, 2020
Wilotree Park, 6548 Groveland Airport Road Groveland, Florida, USA

and:

1st Class 1, Sport Class, Women's, Class 5 and Class 2 Pan-American Hang Gliding Championships
Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 to Friday, August 14th, 2020
Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport, 3200 Rickabaugh Drive, W. Big Spring, Texas

These are combined events.

As you can see we are being very ambitious. In addition, we would have to put on test events:

There are two possible test events in 2019 for the first competition. The first is the 2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic. Saturday, March 23rd, 2019 through Saturday, March 30th, 2019 and the second: 2019 Quest Air Nationals, Saturday April 13th through Sunday, April 27th, 2019. Next year

For the Pan-American: 2019 Big Spring Nationals,
Saturday, August 3rd through Saturday, August, 10th, 2019.

As you can see from the numbering scheme this would be the first time ever that anyone has run a Pan-American Hang Gliding Competition. There have been three Pan-American Paragliding competitions.

But some Europeans are very skeptical about whether anyone (they mean other Europeans) would be willing to go to any of these competitions (travel expenses and all).

So we have to ask, are you interested in any of these competitions? We have to tell the CIVL Bureau in advance that there is in fact interest in these competitions, before they will consider letting us put them on. So, you need to send Davis an email to davis and he's at davisstraub.com and tell him that you are interested in coming to one or more of these competitions. Also send your email to Jamie Shelden «naughtylawyerelektratow

We realize that this is almost an impossible ask on our part. Who knows what they want to do in two years? But please if you have any desire to come to these competitions please email to davis. Also please spread the word around. Without your interest they are not going to happen.

We'll report more on CIVL and the upcoming competitions again, soon.

The life of a meet organizer

Thu, Jul 19 2018, 6:05:28 pm MDT

I completed 120 pages of documents just for the insurance part of the competitions that we have organized

CIVL|Larry Bunner|Midwest Championships 2017|video|weather

And we are forever grateful to be able to follow the original work done by Larry Bunner for the Midwest 2017 competition. Here is the required bid information for a Category 1 competition. You have until September 1st to fill this out and submit your bid.:

https://www.fai.org/document-compression/24747

Annexe A – Bid Information


  • The following information must be provided in support of your bid.
  • A bid will be refused if some of the information is missing.
  • This template has to be followed: same items in the same order.
  • Additional information of the bidder’s choice may also be included at the end of the bid (see point 35)

  • This document will form part of the FAI Organiser Agreement. It is binding. Key information (like the entry fee) cannot be changed later without CIVL Bureau and Plenary consent.
  • Documentation required in support of the bid is noted in Annexe B.
  • Outline of the budget must follow the template as per Annexe C.

1. Name of Championship

See FAI document: Naming FAI Competitions available at: http://www.fai.org/fai-documents under Organising an Event.

2. Location(s) of Championship

3. Proposed Dates of Championship

4. Competition allowing the organiser to bid

State here which competition allows you to bid.

To be eligible, the NAC making the bid shall, as a minimum, have held a national championship or FAI Category 2 competition with a minimum entry of 50 pilots for Cross Country events or 30 pilots for Accuracy and Aerobatics events, on the proposed site(s) within the four years before the bid is received.

5. Local Organiser (LOC)

Party designated in the Organiser Agreement who will have contractual responsibility for organising the event, and will sign the Organiser Agreement.

The party has written approval and endorsement of the holder of the Sporting Powers (see point 6).

6. Sporting Power

Party having the sporting power in your country.

  • It can be the National Airsport Control (NAC).
  • It can be another entity (a federation for instance) to which the NAC has delegated its sporting powers. If this is the case, a letter of information has to be sent by the entity to the NAC.

The Sporting Power will also have to sign the Organiser Agreement

7. Detailed Schedule of Championship

  • Free and official training days.
  • Registration.
  • Mandatory Safety Briefing.
  • Opening ceremony.
  • Mandatory training task.
  • Championship flying days.
  • Closing ceremony.

8. Organisers, Directors and Key Officials

Include brief note on qualifications, experience, languages, etc.

For all events:

  • Organisation/Event Director.
  • Meet Director.
  • Safety Director.
  • Meteorologist.
  • Launch (or drop) Marshal.

For Cross Country:

  • Scorer.
  • Live Tracking Manager.
  • Goal Marshal.

9. CIVL Coordinator, Steward, Judges, Jurors

  • At the time of the bid, the CIVL Coordinator will be the CIVL President or the appropriate Committee Chairperson. If the bid is accepted, the Coordinator will be the CIVL Steward as soon as he is appointed.
  • In Accuracy, the Chief Judge and Event Judges will be appointed by CIVL in consultation with the LOC. The Chief Judge will then appoint other Judges in consultation with the LOC. All Judges should be the same at the test event and at the event.
  • In Aerobatic, the Chief Judge will be appointed by CIVL in consultation with the LOC. The Chief Judge will then appoint other Judges in consultation with the LOC. All Judges should be the same at the test event and at the event.
  • The CIVL Jurors will be appointed in due time by the CIVL Bureau.

10. Pilots Entry

Specify the maximum number of pilots allowed overall.

You may want to justify this number in relation to the site and flying conditions.

Reminder:

The maximum number of pilots per nation and the team size will be defined in the championship Local Regulation, which is subject to CIVL approval.

11. Entry Fee

Define the Entry Fee for the Championship:

  • For Pilots.
  • For Teams Leaders and Assistants.
  • What is included in Entry Fee.

Reminder: See Section 7 Common 5.1.2 for the minimum expected to be included in the Entry Fee.

Define what will be optional or subject to additional charges, such as tow fees, retrieve, lunch packs, equipment hire, etc.

12. Test Event

  • Dates of Test Event.
  • Pilot qualifications (open selection or specific criteria if any).
  • Entry fee for Pilots, Teams Leaders and Assistants.
  • What is included in Entry Fee. (see 11. above)

Reminder:

See Section 7 Common 2.4.5 and 12.1.1 for general requirements.

See Section 7 Common 12.3.1 for the minimum International Participation required.

13. Launch sites

Add general comments on suitability of sites for proposed event, competition history, accessibility, availability, permission for use.

For each site, list:

  • Take-off direction(s).
  • Height above valley.
  • Configuration, surface, size of take-offs and rigging/preparation areas.
  • Number of ramps.
  • Hazards (cables, pylons, trees, etc.).
  • Facilities (car park, shelter/shade, water, refreshments, toilets, etc.). 

For winch/aero tow sites:

  • Airfield details, size, wind directions, facilities, etc.

For Accuracy:

  • Height difference between take off and target area.

For Aerobatic:

  • Height above water when reaching the flying ‘box’.

14. Distance/access to launch site(s)

  • Road access: for cars or only 4-wheel drive vehicles or organisers trucks?
  • Cable car or mountain railway to take-off area?
  • Parking available part way up?
  • Organiser transport arrangements to sites.

For Accuracy and Aerobatic:

  • Shuttle time from the landing area to take-off area.

15. Task flying area XE "Task flying area"

  • Type and suitability of terrain.
  • Unlandable and built up areas difficult to avoid.
  • Suitable goal landing fields and height AMSL.
  • Suitable ‘bomb-out’ .
  • Local road quality for retrieves, road traffic problems.
  • Any prohibited flying or landing areas.
  • Include a map or a link to an online map showing airspace, turnpoints, major features, typical tasks (see Annexe A).

For Accuracy and Aerobatics:

  • Target location and specificities.

16. Airspace XE "Airspace"

  • Free to what height above take-off and task flying areas?
  • What limitations? Restricted/prohibited areas?
  • What permission or exclusions required? How likely to be granted?
  • Frontier crossing arrangements?

17. Weather

  • Details of any sites prone to low clouds, possibility of wave or foehn, best time of day for thermal upslope, possibility of residual lift late in the afternoon, known turbulence areas.
  • Weather data and type of conditions to expect during the period selected for the event.
  • Recommended maximum wind speed: on launch and for task flying.

18. Meteorology XE "Meteorology"

  • What arrangements will be in place for daily forecasts during the event and the relevant experience of the forecaster.
  • Details of satellite weather monitoring, most reliable web resources for forecasts, automatic wind station monitoring, webcams, etc.

19. Transport XE "Retrieves"

  • Details of transport provided to launch, organisation vehicles, vehicles to be provided by competi­tors, etc.
  • How retrieve/check-in will be organised.

20. Safety issues

In general:

  • Local meteorological conditions (areas of rotor, strong valley winds, etc.) or local terrain features (pylons). 
  • Task setting/task style/scoring ideas to compensate.
  • Comments on pilot qualifications/skill levels required.
  • Details of any fatalities or serious accidents on the site or in the task flying area in the past 5 years.

21. Rescue XE "Rescue" /Medical Services

  • Information on experience of on-site doctor/paramedic, first aid arrangements, medical first response in tasks area.
  • Helicopter availability including response times.
  • Helicopter landing space for each site.

22. Safety Management Plan

States here what your safety management plan will be.

Reminder:

FAI has published ‘Guidelines in the event of a casualty or of a serious accident’. Please be aware of this document and its sections:

  • Advise Regional ATC Centre and also local ATC organisation.
  • Raise NOTAM.
  • Insurance to cover liability, rescue charges, etc.
  • Advise local police.
  • Advise local ambulance, hospital and other medical services.
  • Arrange medical doctor rota to cover the event also to cover any post-mortem
  • examination and inquest.
  • Arrange site facilities, including a control room and incident room.
  • Appoint officials: Event Director and Deputy Director, Event Safety Officer, Public Relations Officer.
  • Investigate laws, rules and procedures that apply at the event site or sites, for accidents, injuries, fatalities and air accidents.
  • Make plans for dealing with accidents and incidents: release of names, control actions, incident log, official statements after the event, immediate actions, follow-up actions, dealing with press and media, witnesses, details of injured or deceased, National accident investigation procedures, continuance of event, facilities for victim’s team, report to FAI; Injury, illness or death of participants or spectators.

23. Transmissions

  • Radio XE "Radios" s: details including any restriction on frequencies or types of radio, particularly 2m, and any licence requirements.
  • Mobile/Cell ‘Phone Coverage: availability of local SIM cards. Details of best network coverage within the competition area.

24. Liaison with police, military, public services

  • Their familiarity with this type of event. Past experience? Assistance expected?

25. Insurance XE "Insurance"

  • Insurance requirements pilots will be required to provide (third party, personal, repatriation…).
  • Detail of what will be available to be purchased on site.
  • Details of Organisers’ Liability cover for the event (including public liability and CIVL officials).

Reminder:

The LOC must arrange insurance coverage in an adequate amount in connection with the event including public liability insurance meeting the applicable legal specifications. This coverage must be presented to the FAI at the earliest opportunity.

The FAI, its respective directors, employees and assigned event Personnel must be designated as additional insured parties for liability claims.

26. Event Headquarters XE "Headquarters"

  • Location and size of rooms for briefings, registration, equipment checks.
  • Office facilities: AV equipment, office equipment, communication systems (phones, wifi, etc.).
  • Internet access available for Officials.
  • Internet access available for competitors.

27. Local facilities

  • General outline of availability and average prices of hotels, camping sites, apartments and other accommodation.
  • Proximity from event HQ of: car hire, shops, restaurants/bars, repair facilities, etc.

28. Competition website

  • Outline of the anticipated website design/content, which should be the main means of disseminating information about the championship.
  • Confirm that this will be in place prior to the test event, and updated prior to the main event, with all relevant information, at least 6 months before the start of the event.
  • An interactive online registration and payment facility is desirable.

29. Visas, Vaccinations

  • Will any FAI member be refused entry to the country?
  • Details of visas required for visitors from FAI member nations.
  • Details of any vaccinations recom­mended for competitors (or provide web addresses for information).

30. Early arrivals:

  • State any date before which competitors should not arrive.
  • Give details of arrangements for pilots if early arrival is possible (access to launch, etc.).

31. Customs and equipment importation:

  • Information on custom arrangements for temporary importation of gliders and other competition equipment. If necessary, customs at main entry points for the event should be informed of the nature of equipment that will accompany pilots.
  • List entry points that have already been contacted or notified.

32. Medals, etc.

Medals and diplomas will be provided for free by CIVL, but transportation and custom are paid by the organisers.

  • State here if there are any other forms of recognition or prizes.

33. Media coverage, merchandising

  • Outline of plans to promote the event.
  • Media coverage planned before, during and after the event.
  • Facilities for spectators (virtual and physical).
  • Filming/video opportunities.

Reminder:

Coverage produced by LOC or local partners may have to be provided to FAI for international use without any rights restrictions, limitations and costs. FAI retains the right to use any audiovisual coverage of the event without limitation in space or time.

Are also subject to FAI regulation as per Organiser Agreement (obtainable on request at FAI): international distribution; merchandising and hospitality rights; intellectual property, FAI marks and exposure, event logo, mascot…

34. Sponsorship

  • Secured or expected sponsors if any.

Reminder:

If the FAI requests exposure and the LOC has a specific possibility to secure event sponsors of the same products or services categories as the FAI main partners for a major sponsor position, FAI shall be contacted in order to agree on a solution.

FAI shall exercise its right up to 6 months prior to the event. Before this time limit, the LOC may ask the FAI to grant full release from this obligation or to specify which categories have to be reserved.

35. Finance

  • Anticipated sources of finance (local, government, sports authorities, NAC, etc.) and percentage of budget expected from pilot entry fees.
  • Provide an outline budget (see Annexe C)

36. Any additional information in support of the bid:

Name:

Position in Organisation:

Date:

Signed:

Annexe B – Support Documentation


  1. Letter of support from the NAC or delegated entity.
  2. Letter of information from the delegated entity to the NAC (if applicable).
  3. Letter of support from the local authorities.
  4. Map of the area.

Annexe C – Budget

See the Excel file. https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/civl/documents/cat_1_budget_annexe_c_-_v2018.xls

Big Support for Big Spring

May 21, 2018, 12:47:49 pm CDT GMT-0500

Cloudbase Foundation adds $1000

Big Spring 2018|Cloudbase Foundation|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2017|Ken Millard|Quest Air|US Nationals 2018

https://www.thecloudbasefoundation.org/campaign/assist-big-spring-texas-foster-care-children#donations

Today, the Cloudbase Foundation donated $1,000 to our campaign to pay back the people of Big Spring for all their support for hang gliding. In addition, Ken Millard sent us $100 along with his entry fee for the Big Spring Nationals, to help pay back for our losses at the Green Swamp Sport Klassic. Since those losses were already paid back, due to profit from the Quest Air Nationals, we just donated his kind contribution to the Assist Big Spring, Texas Children in Foster Care campaign.

Yes, we are now at $6,155, well over our arbitrary goal of $5,000.

Still Tentative Dates for 2019 Florida Competitions

Mon, May 21 2018, 9:24:07 am CDT

Trying to get on the cusp of the Florida weather

CIVL|USHPA|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019

https://OzReport.com/calendar.php

Our current plan is first to have a mentored cross country classic Sunday, March 17th through Saturday, March 23rd. This is not a competition, but a mentored cross country clinic with daily tasks called. This is for sport class pilots and all pilots wanting to improve their cross country skills. It’s a prep for the Klassic.

Next up, The Green Swamp Sport Klassic. Sunday, March 24th through Saturday, March 30th. A mentored competition. Just like this one in 2018: https://airtribune.com/2018-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info

Then the 2019 Quest Air Nationals. This will be a two week competition, with each week scored separately and each week submitted to the USHPA for two sets of NTSS points and to CIVL for two sets of WPRS points. You can attend either week or both.

Dates: Sunday, April 14th through April 27th. There will be a rest day Saturday, April 20th if we have had six tasks flown during the first week, otherwise it's a flying day for the first week. So week one is Sunday, April 14th through Friday, April 19th (or Saturday, April 20th). Week two is Sunday, April 21st through Saturday, April 27th.

This is the Quest Air Nationals for this year: https://airtribune.com/2018-quest-air-national-series/info/details__info

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Revised tentative dates for 2019 Florida meets

Wed, May 2 2018, 8:58:32 am EDT

Please comment if you have any thoughts about these dates

CIVL|USHPA|World Pilot Ranking Scheme|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019

Our current plan is first to have a mentored cross country classic Sunday, Match 17th through Saturday, March 23rd. This is not a competition, but a mentored cross country clinic with daily tasks called. This is for sport class pilots and all pilots wanting to improve their cross country skills. It’s a prep for the Klassic.

Next up, The Green Swamp Sport Klassic. Sunday, March 24th through Saturday, March 30th. A mentored competition. Just like this one in 2018: https://airtribune.com/2018-green-swamp-sport-klassic/info/details__info

Then the 2019 Quest Air Nationals. This will be a two week competition, with each week scored separately and each week submitted to the USHPA for two sets of NTSS points and to CIVL for two sets of WPRS points. You can attend either week or both.

Dates: Sunday, April 21st through May 4th. Sunday, April 21st is Easter Sunday. There will be a rest day Saturday, April 27th if we have had six tasks flown during the first week, otherwise it's a flying day for the first week.

This is the Quest Air Nationals for this year: https://airtribune.com/2018-quest-air-national-series/info/details__info

That’s the plan at the moment. If you’d like to tell us what you want, just comment to «davis

https://OzReport.com/calendar.php

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Tentative Dates for 2019 Florida competitions

Fri, Apr 27 2018, 9:23:06 am EDT

March and April

Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2019|Quest Air Nationals 2019

2019 Green Swamp Sport Klassic: March 17th - 23rd

2019 Quest Air National Series, week 1: April 14th - 20th, week 2: April 22 - 28th. (one competition, two scoring weeks)

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2018 Quest Air Nationals »

Sat, Apr 21 2018, 8:14:52 am EDT

The happy pilots

Alejandro Riera|Andrey Solomykin|Bruce Barmakian|Charles Allen|Christian Ciech|Corinna Schwiegershausen|Davis Straub|Fabiano Nahoum|Fred Kaemerer|Gary Anderson|Glen Volk|Greg Dinauer|Jeff Chipman|Jim Messina|John Simon|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Ken Kinzie|Kevin Carter|Konrad Heilmann|Krzysztof "Krys/Kris" Grzyb|Larry Bunner|Makbule Baldik Le Fay|Mark Bourbonnais|Mike Glennon|Patrick Kruse|Phill Bloom|Quest Air|Quest Air Nationals 2018|Raul Guerra|Richard Lovelace|Roger Irby|Sara Weaver|Tullio Gervasoni|Tyler Borradaile|Zac Majors

Joerg Bajewski's photo of all of us:

All the happy pilots at the 2018 Quest Air Nationals. May include, but not limited to: Adam Smith, Adrian Sanchez, Adriano Sorci, Alejandro Riera, Alessandro Silva, Alfredo Grey, Alipio Loyola, Alvaro Figueiredo Sandoli, Andrey Solomykin, Austin Marshall, Bill Comstock, Bill Vickery, Brian Vitola, Bruce Barmakian, Carl Wallbank, Carlos Alvarado, Charles Allen, Charles Cozean, Christian Ciech, Corinna Schwiegershausen, Dan Lukaszewicz, David Aldrich, David Hayner, David Whittle, Davis Straub, Derreck Turner, Douglas Hale, enrique arriaga, Eric Williams, Erico Oliveira, Fabiano Nahoum, Fabio Thomaz, Fred Kaemerer, Gary Anderson, Giovani Tagliari, Glen Volk, Greg Dinauer, Greg Sessa, Hollidge Andrew, James Race, James Yocom, JD Guillemette, Jeff Chipman, Jim Messina, Joerg Bajewski, John Blank, John Maloney, John Simon, Jonny Durand, Jose Paulo Tavares, Jose Sandoval, Ken Kinzie, Kevin Carter, Kevin Dutt, Kevin Kernohan, Konrad Heilmann, Krzysztof Grzyb, Larry Bunner, Lee Silver, Makbule Baldik Le Fay, Malcolm Brown, Marcello Pereira, Marcelo Alexandre Menin, Mark Bourbonnais, Michael Duffy, Michael Williams, Mick Howard, Miguel Molina, Mike Glennon, Misael Rosalez, Nick Jones, Patrick Kruse, Patrick Pannese, Patrick Ruber, Pedro L. Garcia, Peter Kelley, Peter Suchanek, Philippe Michaud, Phill Bloom, Raul Guerra, Ricardo Ricky, Ricardo Vassmer, Rich Cizauskas, Rich Reinauer, Richard lovelace, Richard Milla, Rick Maddy, Rob Dallas, Robert Clarkson, Rod Regier, Rodrigo Russek, Roger Irby, Sandy Dittmar, Sara Weaver, Sergey Kataev, Soraya Rios, Stephan Mentler, Steve Hogan, Tullio Gervasoni, Tyler Borradaile, Will Ramsey, William Baker, Zac Majors

The photo is live.

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Flying Toward Venice Beach

April 12, 2018, 9:08:12 pm EDT

Flying Toward Venice Beac

A rare day with a nice strong but pleasant north northeast wind

Ken Kinzie|Larry Bunner|Zac Majors

The wind was out of the north northeast. It stayed at 16 mph throughout the whole flight. There was no sea breeze forecasted for the beach at Venice.

Pilots here aren't all the used to flying in the north northeast wind. It was strong on the ground and that caused a number of them to hesitate to go to launch. It didn't slow down Larry Bunner, Ken Kinzie and I. What did keep us from launching before 2 PM was the lack of cu's. They may have been a mistake on our part as it takes a long day to get to Venice.

Cu's are rare on a northeast day. The Skew-T showed no cu's, but we could see some not that far away and they enticed us into waiting a bit for them to come over us.

I was hauled up first by Jim Prahl. There was plenty of lift on tow but given the strong wind I held on until 2,000'. Still I had to turn around and head back to the lift to get up from 1,700'. Despite how strong it felt on tow it was only 130 fpm to 2600' Larry was in much stronger lift to 3,800' to my east.

There was a wisp forming over me and then another and I kept getting under them but the lift was illusive. Finally I had to head out into the blue to see if I could get near another better looking cu and get up. I wasn't sure that I would make it more than a few kilometers.

Down to 1,000' AGL I found lift that averaged almost 200 fpm to 3,300'. Ken and Larry were ahead and higher. The strong wind made it difficult to stay with the thermal. I was drifting west of the course line.

I worked 100 fpm, then 200 fpm west of the intersection of highway 474 and 33 to 4,000'. Ken and Larry came over to me and flew overhead. We were being pushed very quickly to the south southwest.

I worked 250 fpm to 3,400' northwest of Deen Still and 33 and then headed south southeast as it did not look good ahead as Larry, who was out ahead was still gliding and not turning. There were no more cu's, either. I was trying to get closer to the highway and it looked a bit drier over there. We had just had two nights of heavy rain.

Down to 1,000' I found 200 fpm to 3,800' with Ken and Larry just a few kilometers ahead getting up. They hadn't shaded to the east as much as I did.

Larry and Ken found good lift 2.5 kilometers ahead and I raced toward them. When I got there I found 800 fpm under their 500 fpm and quickly closed the gap. Finally I was in a position to fly with others. We were just west of Polk City and we climbed to 5,200', the highest we would get all day.

We found a little more over I-4, but essentially went on a 17 kilometer glide over the open fields then populated areas near Lakeland. Our turnpoint was the county airport to our east with an eight kilometer radius cylinder. It was there just to keep us out of controlled airspace. We decided to not make the glide to the edge of the cylinder as we had plenty of room to clear Lakeland airspace on our west.

Over Lakeland and down to 2,200' I felt a little bit of lift to my left, east, north of a lumber mill. I called out that I had a little something. Larry turned around and came back under me low. Ken came over also. We climbed to 4,000' at 150 fpm. Larry didn't get up as high as us and had to go back and do it again. There was a nice possible landing field nearby.

We quickly left civilization behind and flew over wide open green wet fields. We tested a few weak thermals and then after a 10 kilometer glide I was down to 1,800' just north of a stand-a-lone factory.  I turned in 190 fpm drifting 6 kilometers and climbing to 4,500'. This getting relatively low and then slowly working up had been the theme of this flight so far. I felt very lucky to be able to locate lift when I got this low. I kept making deliberate choices that worked out. Nice to have a tailwind.

Larry caught up with me after my lowish save and then we caught up with Ken and climbed to 4,300' at 300 fpm. As you can see most of the thermals were weak. They were also a bit difficult to stay in. When this thermal got weak I headed out in front while Larry and Ken continued to work it.

We had big open wet field below us with very few roads and lots of canals. Easy to land in, but hard to get out of.  I went on a 13 kilometer glide turning near the end to the southwest toward the main highway. I saw a dry field on the east side of it that looked like it could be producing.

Down to 1,500' I found 100 fpm and climbed slowly to only 3,600'. Meanwhile just to my west Ken and Larry climbed to 4,600' and went on glide as I struggled. At this point I just wanted to be near a highway.

An 8 kilometer glide and I was down to 1,600' over cultivated fields that had access to the highway. After drifting for 3 kilometers over these fields I was at 1,550' and I jumped over to the next set of cultivated fields. Larry and Ken had just landed, Larry a couple of kilometers to my north in this second set of cultivated fields.

I came across the southern end of this set at 1,100' AGL. I was climbing at 90 fpm and talking with Larry on the radio. I was ready to go land to make the retrieve easier. We were 60 kilometers from our goal at Venice Beach. It was 5 PM.

Larry told me that he had just heard from Zac Majors and that he was on his way to get under me. Oh, I guess I had better stay up. I was now climbing at 120 fpm just south the cultivated fields. Zac soon came in under me low. He had launched after the three of us.

Drifting 5 kilometers we climbed to 3,600'. It was an 11 kilometer glide back to an area with residential structures. I found lift at 1,500' and Zac came back in under me. We took 200 fpm to 3,800' It was almost 6 PM.

5 kilometers later down to only 2,600', we again climbed to 3,800' at 170 fpm. Seeking to avoid the treed swamp that had stopped me before I had us head through a clear area that would get us to the coast about 5 kilometers north of our goal. Still we could land at the beach. There was no sea breeze.

The sun was getting a bit low in the sky and it was all green open fields in front of us.  Wet fields full of ponds.

After a 12 kilometer glide I was down to 1,000'. Zac was a couple of hundred over me. I decided to turn around and head back to a nice farm road as it was roadless ahead for 3 kilometers. Zac landed at the other side of the big field with no roads and near roads.

We were within 18 kilometers of our goal.

It was a most pleasant flight and getting low made for lots of excitement. I hadn't been over this part of Florida in a a couple of years and it was great to see it again. Hopefully next week also.

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/11.4.2018/17:55

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Flying Toward Venice Beach

April 12, 2018, 0:14:03 EDT

Flying Toward Venice Beach

The short version

Ken Kinzie|Larry Bunner|Zac Majors

Larry Bunner, Ken Kinzie, later Zac Majors, and I flew to the south southeast 150 kilometers to almost the beach on the west coast of Florida.

The full story tomorrow.

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/11.4.2018/17:55

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Oz Report supporters for 2018

April 2, 2018, 8:38:09 EDT

Oz Report supporters for 2018

Tell me if I missed you.

Alan Deikman|Allan Phillips|April Mackin|Ben Dunn|Bruce Kavanagh|Bubba Goodman|Chris Boyce|Cragin Shelton|Daniel Gravage|Dara Hogan|Dave Embertson|David Glover|David Williamson|Doug Keller|Dudley Mead|Eric Beckman|Gakuta Toba|Gary Solomon|Geoffrey Rutledge|Glen Volk|Gregg "Kim" Ludwig|Harald Steen|James Bradley|James Lamb|Jason Williams|John Armstrong|John Hesch|John Kennedy|John Simon|Jonathan Dietch|Justinas Pleikys|Ken Howells|Ken Kinzie|Krzysztof "Krys/Kris" Grzyb|Mark Stump|Martin Henry|Martin Jaeger|Maurice Wilson|Mike Barber|Miles Fagerlie|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Niki Longshore|Oz Report|Patrick Schwitter|Paul Voight|Peter Bolton|Quest Air|Raef Mackay|Richard Williams|Riker Davis|Roger Irby|Scott Barrett|Scott Seebass|Scott Smith|Scott Weiner|Stewart Midwinter|supporters|Tom McGowan|Vince Furrer|Vincene Muller|Vrezh Tumanyan|Wayne Ripley|William "Billo" Olive|Wilotree Park|Winfried Oswald

Thanks to all who have helped us out. We could not afford to pay http://pair.com to host the Oz Report without your support. 

Adriel Kind Gregg Ludwig Miles Fagerlie
Alan Crouse Gregory Angsten Mitchell Shipley
Alan Deikman Gregory Pierson Nicholas Palmer
Alexandra Childs Hadewych van Kempen Nicole Longshore
Alf Oppoyen Harald Steen Patrick Halfhill
Allan Phillips Heinz Tagmann Patrick Kruise
Allen Ahl Hubert Jason Williams Patrick Pannese
Angelos Mantas J. Russell Locke Patrick Schwitter
Angry Penguin Inc. James (Dennis) Yeomans Paul Kelley
anonymous James Aden Paul Voight
Anthony Armstrong James Bradley Perry Jones
April Mackin James Gibson Peter Adams
Belcourt Industries James Lamb Peter Bolton
Ben Dunn Jan Snydr-Michal Peter Cairns
Bernard Garvey Jason Smith Peter Kelley
Bill Finn Jeffrey Curtis Peter Swanson
Bill Snyder Jim Kolynich Philip Morgan
Billo Jim Prahl Quest Air
Bruce Kavanagh Jim Ramsden Rachel Allen
Bubba Goodman John "Kip" Stone Raef Mackay
Carlos Alonso de Florida John Armstrong Richard Caylor
Carlos Schmitz John Blank Richard Eunice
Carol Sturtevant John Devorak Richard Larson
Catherine Hunter John Dullahan Richard Milla
Chris Boyce John Haig Thompson Richard Williams
Christian Schelb John Hesch Riker Davis
Christian Williams John Kennedy Robert Bay
Chuck and Gayle Warren John Middleton Robert Bradley
Claude Carlier John Simon Robert Caldwell
Cliff Rice Jon Lindburg Robert Dallas
Clive Beddall Jon Thompson Robert Goodman
Cragin Shelton Jonathan Dietch Roger Irby
Craig Carlson Jorge Cano Ronald P. Gleason
Craig DeMott Jostein Vorkinn Scott Barrett
Daniel Gravage Justin Elliott Scott Seebass
Daniel Lukaszewicz Justinas Pleikys Scott Smith
Danny Utinske Keith Barghahn Scott Weiner
Dara Hogan Ken Cobb Scott Westfall
Darrell Hambley Ken Durstine Scott Whittet
Dave Embertson Ken Howells secret admirer at Seminole
David Davenport Ken Kinzie Sky Sports Flying School Pty. Ltd.
David Fynn Kenneth Durrance Stefan Kern
David Glover Keven Morlang Stephan Mentler
David Goto Kinsley Sykes Stephen Parson
David Lopez Knut Ryerson Steven Blackler
David Stookey Koos de Keijzer Steven Boost
David Williamson Krzysztof Grzyb Stewart Midwinter
Dean Engler LakeShore Hang Gliding SvS Design
Doug Keller Larry Huffman Sydney Hang Gliding Centre
Douglas Brown Larry Omara The Passing Zone, Inc.
Dudley Mead Larry Robinson Thomas C. Ide
Edward Andrews Lee Silver Thomas Curbishley
Edward Saunier Luff Line Ltd. Thomas Eckstein
Elizabeth Rothman Luther Thompson Timothy Delaney
Emiel Jansen M. C. Campanella Toba Gakuta
Eric Beckman Marc Deschenes Tom McGowan
Fernando Milani Marcelo Silva Vince Furrer
Flytec USA Marco Gerber Vincene Muller
Frank Havermeyer Mario Manzo Vincent Collins
Fred Kramer Mark Stump Vrezh Tumanyan
Frode Halse Martin Henry Vuelo Libre
Gary McIntrie Martin Jaeger Walter Nielsen
Gary Solomon Matt Taber Wayne DeVilbiss
Geoffrey Robertson Matt Thoreson Wayne Ripley
Geoffrey Rutledge Maurice Wilson William A. Baker
Giorgos Karachalios Max Tunbridge Wills Wing
Glen Salmon Michael Bomstad Wilotree Park
Glen Volk Michael Duffy Winfried Oswald
Glenn Curran Michael Fitzgerald Wings to Fly ltd.
Glenn Nutt Mick Howard
Greg Fergus Mike Barber

2018 Green Swamp Sport Klassic »

March 24, 2018, 0:20:20 EDT

2018 Green Swamp Sport Klassic

Day six, task three

competition|Green Swamp Sport Klassic 2018|James-Donald "Don" "Plummet" Carslaw|John Alden|Ken Kinzie|Larry Bunner|Quest Air|sailplane|Tim Delaney

With a due north wind, the task committee called a 53 kilometer task to the south to the Winter Haven Airport with two turnpoints that just provided a little guidance staying over open fields. There would not be any cu's once again. Top of lift at 3,300' at 2 PM, higher later. The winds were forecasted to be less than 10 mph on the ground and just a little higher up above.

We set up two launch lines just south of the east/west runway allowing the planes to land from the southeast or from the south and go directly to the launch lines. This speeded things up.

My team was fourth to launch in the left line, right in the middle of the pack. I chose to launch after my three team mates, Matt Pruett, John Alden, and Richard Milla. This worked out great as we all got up and and I could easily track them with the "E" symbol on the top of their sails. I got towed up by Steve Flynn flying April's plane, but they had fixed the props and it was a great tow.

There were a half a dozen pilots in the thermal drifting south from Quest Air and climbing to 3,200'. We could see a gaggle a few kilometers ahead but we were doing better than they were. A couple of sailplanes came in underneath us and thernmaled for while as we out climbed them. They then headed south toward the other gaggle.

Topping out I hung with my mentees at the top of the lift and then we decided to head south but to stay west of the gaggle that wasn't doing that well. As we got down near them their lift turned on so we headed their direction and we and the sailplanes started going up. We climbed at 200 fpm to 3,300'.

We all headed south and down to 1,900' five kilometers further south found a little over 100 fpm. I was leading out and had to go back to the north half a kilometer to join some other pilots in the lift. We drifted south for 3.5 kilometers passing south of the glider port and climbing to 3,500'. Again I hung around at the top of the lift waiting for my teammates to climb up to my altitude. Matt was right with me.

The team got up but Richard Milla was a bit lower. We headed south and quickly got the turnpoint at the intersection of 474 and 33 and headed for a gaggle a little to the southwest. The lift was only 100 fpm and we climbed back to 3,500'. Again I hung back at the top of lift with Matt just below me and John Alden a little distance down but Richard a few hundred feet lower.

I headed southeast to get to the east of a north/south treed area, onto the course line, upwind of our next turnpoint and over landable fields. This would prove to be a key move although at first it looked like it would put us on the ground. Matt and Ken Kinzie, who had lost all his mentees early as they landed, joined me as I plummeted out of the sky. Down to 1,400' I found 200 fpm. Matt came in under me and got in the lift also.

John and Richard headed south instead of southeast. They would soon land to our west.

I spotted Ken Kinzie to our south and found 600 fpm under him to 3,400', but I was going to wait for Matt, who was still slowly climbing behind me. Ken headed south. I went back and lost 1,400' just trying to stay up near Matt. I had to head southeast to get out of the sink and down to 1,500' found 100 fpm. Matt came after me and lower but climbing also. We slowly climbed back to 3,200' always drifting along the course line and toward the next turnpoint. It was very good of us to get on the course line as early as we did as now we could milk the wind.

Heading south southeast we got 26 to 1 with the 10 mph tail wind and very light sink. We found 190 fpm just before Interstate 4 and the intersection of highway 557 and climbed to 4,000' before heading for the turnpoint.

It was only 14 kilometers to the goal but there were a lot of lakes between us and the airport. We saw Ken Kinzie circling in the distance. He had missed the turnpoint and had to come back to get it. He had plenty of altitude to make it to goal but was feeling the effects of having gotten low turning around.

We got to him, took a few turns then I headed to goal. With very light sink for the first five kilometers I was assured of coming in too high. I made the goal and decided to land in a huge field less than a kilometer to the north. Matt and then Ken came in and then joined me also. About half an hour later we saw Tim Delaney make it to goal as the only other pilot to make it. Later Larry Bunner would land with us. Tim moved into second place with this finish.

My team had all its pilots in the top ten. For the second day in a row I was lucky enough to have the top pilot for the day as my mentee. Goal every day so far. Tomorrow is the last day and it looks like a very good day with good lift to 5,000'.

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:davisstraub/23.3.2018/18:34

https://airtribune.com/2018-green-swamp-sport-klassic/results

Task 3:

# Name Glider Time Distance Total
1 Matt Pruett Wills Wing U2 145 01:31:27 52.77 624
2 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Ultrasport 137 02:18:31 52.77 579
3 Max Kotchouro Wills Wing Sport 2 155   33.16 444
4 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160   35.04 430
5 John Alden Wills Wing U2 145   33.14 417
6 Rick Hines Wills wing Sport 2   29.02 400
6 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145   31.36 400
8 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145   30.32 390
9 Ilya Rivkin Will Wing Sport 2 155   25.75 369
10 Jon Irlbeck Wills Wing Sport 2 155   25.33 364

Cumulative:

# Name Glider Total
1 Matt Pruett Wills Wing U2 145 1354
2 Tim Delaney Wills Wing Ultrasport 137 1293
3 Lee Silver Wills Wing U2 160 1254
4 Max Kotchouro Wills Wing Sport 2 155 1160
5 John Alden Wills Wing U2 145 1040
6 Eric Kriner Wills Wing U2 160 958
7 Rich Reinauer Wills Wing U2 145 934
8 Richard Milla Wills Wing U2 145 915
9 Willie Van Caulart Wills Wing U2 160 815
10 Richard Westmoreland Wills Wing U2 145 811

Ricardo Vasamer won the day in the topless sport class and moved into first overall.

Pilots having a good time:

Battling the west wind

February 17, 2018, 7:50:55 EST

Battling the west wind

All the pilots struggled yesterday

battery|Evgeniya "Zhenya" Laritskaya|Ken Kinzie|Quest Air|Rob Clarkson|sailplane

The task was an out and return straight south to Fantasy of Flight and back. The forecast and reality showed a strong west wind. There were plenty of east/west cloud streets. Rob Clarkson abandoned the task about eight miles to the south of Quest Air and made it back to Quest. Larry Landed just south of the Seminole Sailplane port. Greg and I decided not to fly.

Ken Kinzie <<ken>> writes:

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:kenkinzie/16.02.2018/18:43

After going down on the last leg around the Green Swamp task yesterday I prepared for today's Quest Air Cross Country League crosswind task, Fantasy out and return.

The wind was west 10-12 mph so we headed over to the east end of the field. Great service here at Quest with Davis transporting harnesses, Evgeniya and Don shuttling gliders to the launch area. I launched last following Larry and Rob. Davis was not flying.

We entered a thermal crossing over highway 33 at the west end of the field. Just as I pushed out to climb up level behind April on the 914 my release disengaged prematurely at 430'. My first thought was to pull a 180 and set up for landing, but there was sufficient altitude to attempt to work the lift and drift back downwind over the field. Better to land after the thermal drifts through anyway.

Down to 260' over the field I saw April land and taxi back to the clubhouse area and park the tug. I took that as a vote of confidence, but I was not at all optimistic. However, eventually I blundered into increasingly stronger lift that allowed me to climb out for a personal best low save. Thanks April.

It wasn't a vote of confidence. No one thought that anyone could get up over the pond at that low an altitude but we admired the attempt.

Setting out on course, hoping better late than never, the lift was nice and smooth topping out at 4000', but after the first few clouds I was getting low and with shade and no good clouds in reach on course I turned around to get back in the sun. After eventually getting some altitude and going back on course, ended up with the same challenge again. Another u turn back to sun but lower than ever I finally got a slow climb from the transformer station a few miles south of Quest and drifted way to the east in the process.

That is when I decided to abandon the task and try to make it to the place that we rent to the south east instead. I encountered stronger sink than lift and low again I got a slow climb just when needed but I was fast approaching hwy 27. That is the eastern boundary of Orlando class B airspace so I made sure not to cross over and turned cross wind to my destination to the south. I bailed out of a potential climb as it drifted to 27 and with surprisingly little sink along the way made it to the baseball diamonds next to our resort with 1000' for an easy landing approach.

Only 30 kilometers straight line but it was one of the most challenging and rewarding flights that I've had in a long time.

The Orlando airspace starts at 6,000' MSL over highway 27 and goes up to 10,000'.

Discuss "Battling the west wind" at the Oz Report forum   link»

2017 Midwest, Vlog 3 »

June 16, 2017, 8:21:47 MST -0600

2017 Midwest, Vlog 3

After the first day of competition

Midwest Championships 2017|video

https://youtu.be/nv2tySnyPos

This video covers the winners of task 1 and pilot briefing for task 2 (which was canceled due to low/weak lift and high winds).

2017 Midwest, Vlog 2 »

June 15, 2017, 7:57:13 MST -0600

2017 Midwest, Vlog 2

The first day of competition

Midwest Championships 2017|video

https://youtu.be/oNlYpOfHkc8

2017 Midwest, Vlog 1 »

June 14, 2017, 7:06:53 MST -0600

2017 Midwest, Vlog 1

Wills Wing's turn to log it

Midwest Championships 2017|video

https://youtu.be/yZREHtibq0Y

2017 Midwest, a video look »

June 13, 2017, 6:54:22 pm CST -0500

2017 Midwest, a video look

A look around

Midwest Championships 2017|video

https://youtu.be/32ko6enNiJ8

2017 Midwest, my thoughts »

June 13, 2017, 8:48:59 CST -0500

2017 Midwest, my thoughts

Two weeks in Wisconsin

Midwest Championships 2017

We loved being and flying in Wisconsin. It was a wonderful week of competition flying. Eastern Wisconsin is so beautiful and there are landing areas everywhere so you are completely comfortable flying anywhere.

Flying started out a week before the competition on a very weak Saturday after a strong rain storm the previous day. I sure was hoping that we wouldn't have the situation of eighty pilots hanging together in a very weak thermal like the ones we experienced that day. Thankfully that didn't happen during the competition even when we had a weak day or two. There was plenty of room and numerous thermals so that everyone kept out of everyone else's space.

The area around Whitewater is dotted with lakes, small patches of forest and open farm lands. Because of the cold and wet Spring the corn fields were often not planted yet and if they were the corn was only two or three inches high. There were plenty of grass/hay fields with low growth also. One day I did land in a soybean field with the plants just sticking their leaves out of the ground.

Three days before the competition we again had good flying conditions and two days before the competition we had epic conditions which very robust lift and light winds. I had plenty of opportunities to try out various combinations of varios to see what I liked about each one. I'll be reporting more on that later.

With a high level of participation, far beyond what the organizers expected, there were plenty of skilled pilots and tough competition to liven up the meet. We flew in all directions and conditions from a day when almost everyone had to relight to cu filled skies with thermals wherever you went. I really loved the times that I got low and had to dig my way out of whatever I had managed to get myself into.

In my opinion there is no point in flying, if you are flying alone without a goal. I want to fly with others who are striving to do their best. The closer the better and the more helpful the better.

I'm hoping that we all come back to Whitewater next year.

2017 Midwest, the organizers' thoughts »

June 12, 2017, 6:14:35 CST -0500

2017 Midwest, the organizers' thoughts

At least Greg Dinauer's

Dragonfly|Facebook|Greg Dinauer|Jamie Shelden|Midwest Championships 2017|weather

Greg Dinauer <<gdinauer>> writes:

Organizing a major sanctioned hang gliding competition is something that Larry, Kris and I have always talked about and, indeed have attempted in the past. Plagued by low turnouts, and of course, the always dubious weather up here in the Midwest, we just lost interest.

This year we finally decided to give it another go. With the lack of sanctioned competitions, due to the complexity of negotiating the minefield of insurance imperatives, and the huge gap in years of having any large scale events like this, we agreed it was a perfect storm of wide open doors.

In October we started drawing up plans. Since then every door has opened, even though the insurance hurtle almost discouraged us out of it. We always had the back-up plan that if only 20-25 pilots signed up and we skimped on everything, we could just pull it off without having to dig too deeply into our new glider funds.

So when after merely five days of the event registration being open, I received a late night call from Larry and Kris confirming that we had 60 registered pilots, I felt like the co-inventor of some unique product that just went nationwide overnight.

Of course we had to have another meeting at Larry’s home (the geographical midpoint) to access what to do about the monster we created. We wanted to limit it to 60, but before we knew it there were 80 pilots registered. So we had to draw a sharp line in the form of strict deadlines to control every ones flying sickness for this event. The glee we shared with the break in the really gloomy weather in the upper Midwest over the prior month well; it was just another of those open doors which seemed as inexplicable as Kris’s “need” to schedule during a full moon. If he is silently gloating, he deserves to be.

In as much as we considered every contingency, now that the competition is over, there were weak places; places that we could have better addressed, had we not also been competitors ourselves. Better communication with the launch process volunteer staff, management of civilities like: the portable bathrooms and waste containers, and the damp condition of the ground, particularly on the first day, are among them.

With all that, the pilots’ response was overwhelmingly positive, and while the soaring was not particularly epic, we did have one or two good days along with some challenging ones.

I really want to say that the three of us never scuffled with each other over decisions or ideas (often done over Larry’s favorite beer), in spite of the daunting insurance mitigation forms that Larry labored endlessly over. Our individual tasks in this came about more or less naturally; just three flying buddies cooperating to make a bigger dream happen.

We want to again thank everyone including the pilots, tug pilots, all the selfless volunteers, and the (more than patient) local pilot community for participating in what we feel was a bit more like what these events use to be. I, for one, while watching Rhett’s vivid green dragonfly depart this morning couldn’t help but feel a bit sad to see it end.

Will we do it again next year? We’ll see. A lot of the busy work is done and as with Jamie, Davis and other organizers in the past, we have learned a lot.

2017 Midwest, day 7, the podiums »

June 10, 2017, 4:11:31 pm CST -0500

2017 Midwest, day 7, the podiums

Simon and Myrkle win

competition|Midwest Championships 2017

https://airtribune.com/midwest-2017/results

2017 Midwest, day 7 »

June 10, 2017, 4:05:59 pm CST -0500

2017 Midwest, day 7

It blows

Facebook|Midwest Championships 2017

https://www.facebook.com/groups/456553944685782/permalink/472285089779334/

The forecast was correct (we knew three days in advance):

NWS forecast: Sunny, with a high near 89. Windy, with a southwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.

Hourly shows southwest surface winds at 21 mph at noon gusting to 31 mph, rising to 24 mph gusting to 38 mph at 3 PM then slowly decreasing. Forecast for 8 AM – 10 mph.

NAM 3 forecast:

1 PM:

Lift: 500 fpm
TOL: 4,300’
Cloudbase: No cu’s
Surface winds: southwest 24 mph
TOL wind: southwest 40 mph

4 PM:

Lift: 500 fpm
TOL: 4,300’
Cloudbase: No cu’s
Surface winds: southwest 24 mph
TOL wind: southwest 42 mph

The day was cancelled because of the high winds.

2017 Midwest, day 6, task 5 »

June 9, 2017, 10:57:55 pm CST -0500

2017 Midwest, day 6, task 5

The luck can be good or bad

Bruce Barmakian|Facebook|Flytec 6030|Greg Dinauer|James Stinnett|John Simon|Midwest Championships 2017|Niki Longshore|Raul Guerra|video|Zac Majors

Zac Majors called a task to the east given the west winds.

Here is the forecast for the day:

NWS forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Hourly shows north northwest surface winds at 9 mph.

NAM 3 forecast:

1 PM:

Lift: 500 fpm
TOL: 3,600’ (RAP 13 – 5,000’)
Cloudbase: No cu’s
Surface winds: northwest 8 mph
TOL wind: northwest 16 mph

4 PM:

Lift: 600 fpm TOL: 5,000’
Cloudbase: No cu’s or cu’s at 5,600’
Surface winds: northwest 5 mph
TOL wind: west northwest 12 mph

Op40:

TOL: 5,000’
55 degrees
North northwest wind 6 – 10 mph
Reasonable chance of cu’s
Winds move to more westerly later in the day

The cu's were forming as we got pulled up into the air at 1:20 PM. The lift was weak under the cu's but we just held on and climbed slowly getting up to cloud base which was low at 5,000' as forecasted.

Up and down in the weak lift as we tried to stay near cloudbase. I lost track of the time for a few minutes and then realized I was out of place as the start window approached. Found 300 fpm and climbed back to over 5,000' but I was three kilometers from the edge of the start cylinder when the window opened.

Niki was right under me and I told her that I was going to take the first start clock despite being way behind. She decided to wait for the next start window.

I figured that I could use the pilots ahead to mark the thermals and if they slowed down I could catch them.

There was a cu-filled sky to the southeast but quite a ways off the course line to the north. I followed behind the lead gaggle until I lost most of them by the third thermal. The lift was still weak for me and I'd gain 1,000' before running off to the next one as I got near cloud base.

After climbing to 4,900' in the third thermal it was clear that I would have to venture out into the blue to the south to get near the course line and because basically there were no more cu's any where near the direction to the first turnpoint. Raul Guerra had joined me and we spread out looking for little forming wispies.

We found one but it provided only 129 fpm to 4,800'. We headed due south to the next forming wispies and down to 1,400' AGL and after searching around we connected. This thermal was almost 300 fpm and we hung on until 6,400'. The wind was perfect and we drifted right to the turnpoint as we climbed.

Greg Dinauer had come in under us. We heard later that he had lost his flight instrument and was relying on us to tell him where the lift was. He was circling right with us and climbing right with us even though we would have been very hard for him to see.

It was a short glide to the next turnpoint at Burlington airport and while there were little bits of lift we didn't stay but for a few turns before heading to the Bong turnpoint to the southeast. We probably should have worked the available lift a bit more and gained some altitude, but the cu's ahead looked good as did the dry fields below them.

Soon I was on search mode big time. I had lost track of Raul and needed any lift to keep me in the air. Heading over a series of drier fields I felt a little bump. I pushed back upwind into the 7 mph northwest wind and the lift improved. It was weak and broken at first but I was going up from 800' AGL.

I gained about 1,000' and then James Stinnett came in under me at 350' AGL. He was very happy to see me going up. We climbed to 5,100' at almost 300 fpm on average and again drifted toward the turnpoint to the east.

I noticed that a number of pilots who were ahead of us had landed out. As James and I topped out I saw Raul about a 1,000' below us heading for the goal. My 6030 said we had goal by over 1,000' so James and I went on glide.

It's 20 kilometers to the goal but there is a 2km goal cylinder to keep us away from the airfield as it is a drop zone.

There were no clouds a little past the turnpoint at Bong so I was a little cautious at first. Then sped up as I saw that my glide ratio greatly exceeded the required glide ratio and I was not hitting any big sink. It was a breeze making it into goal.

As I worked my way down from 1,000' AGL I noticed that the pilot before me landed going east. The wind had been out of the west or northwest the whole flight. I wondered what's going on.

I had not looked out to the east to see Lake Michigan. There was a sea breeze and that is why all the guys in the first gaggle other than John Simon and Bruce Barmakian are on the ground (or so it appears). James and I got high at the turnpoint, higher than most pilots so we had no problem dealing with the sea breeze.

Zac talks about his flight here: https://www.facebook.com/zacmajors/videos/vb.584324602/10155349211799603/?type=2&theater

2017 Midwest, day 6, task 5 »

June 9, 2017, 8:09:29 pm CST -0500

2017 Midwest, day 6, task 5

Looks like five competition days

Bart Weghorst|Bill Soderquist|Bruce Barmakian|competition|Davis Straub|Fabiano Nahoum|James Stinnett|John Simon|Kevin Carter|Konrad Heilmann|Lawrence "Pete" Lehmann|Midwest Championships 2017|Mike Degtoff|Moyes Litespeed RX|Niki Longshore|Pete Lehmann|Phill Bloom|Roger Irby

With Saturday predicted to be too windy it looks like Friday is the last competition day.

Niki on launch:
Niki launching
Photo by Mike Degtoff.

https://airtribune.com/midwest-2017/results

Task 5:

# Name Glider Time Total
1 John Simon Aeros Combat C 12.7 01:16:23 954
2 Bruce Barmakian Icaro Laminar 13.2 01:21:44 881
3 Kevin Carter Wills Wing T2C 01:22:16 874
4 Phill Bloom Moyes RX 3.5 01:15:55 853
5 Reinaldo Niella WillsWing T2C144 01:25:46 837
5 Bill Soderquist Moyes RX3.5 01:25:27 837
7 Robert Dallas Wills Wing T2C 154 01:27:00 815
8 Patrick Pannese Wills Wing T2C 154 01:28:45 807
9 James Stinnett Wills Wing T2C 01:19:38 797
10 Luke Waters Wills Wing T2 154 01:35:34 749
11 Fabiano Nahoum Icaro Laminar 14.1 01:36:05 740
12 Niki Longshore Moyes LSRX 3.5 PRO 01:26:40 736
13 Bart Weghorst Wills Wing 154 T2C 01:35:47 726
14 Roger Irby Wills Wing T2C 154 01:38:41 720
15 Konrad Heilmann Moyes Litespeed RX3.5 Technora 01:30:18 712
16 Davis Straub Wills Wing T2C 01:40:26 698
17 Alfredo Cabezas Moyes RX 01:41:28 687
18 Rich Cizauskas Aeros Combat 01:54:34 642
19 Pete Lehmann Wills Wing T2-154 01:44:53 630
20 JD Guillemette Moyes Litespeed RX3.5 01:55:09 599
21 Bill Comstock Wills Wing T2 02:05:54 544