tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89920327755335869442024-03-05T22:03:51.463-05:00Piet Barber and FamilyPiet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-74178231056569192742023-06-20T00:22:00.002-04:002023-06-20T00:22:29.302-04:00Excellent June Soaring (Ridge Runs)<p>Around Wednesday, I got a clue that the upcoming weekend was going to be an absolutely amazing soaring day. A cold front was scheduled to pass on Friday night, leaving cold air, and a brisk northwesterly wind. These two factors meant that this is going to be a great soaring day. The best part of all -- this excellent soaring day was going to happen on a Saturday, and not on some random Tuesday. </p><p>Not only was the weather going to be great in Virginia, the winds and air aloft was predicted to be a great soaring day all the way up into Pennsylvania, too. This could be one of those rare days where the soaring is great all the way into the ridge system in Central Pennsylvania. I had to start looking for a copilot. </p><p>I asked two people who had previously indicated that they were interested in doing a cross-country soaring adventure with me. Both of them were scheduled to be out of town. This caused me to expand my search. I asked a glider pilot who lives in Miami, FL if he would be interested in joining me. Nelson Brandt had indicated that he would drop everything and show up for a good ridge adventure, so I asked him about his availability. </p><p>Nelson dropped everything, and found a flight to DCA on Friday. I have a spare room in the house, so he spent the night. We woke up early, and got to the field by 0800. The glider was assembled by 10:00. The tow pilot reported that conditions aloft showed strong northwesterly winds, and even that the tow plane could soar on the ridge. What a great start! </p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLfHk0q3ae4AR4q8MOE1IVQWQprBwY1B8KSKhcmLi6Xnpsi2Yc1prrim_b3sOgHoK5rnYZt7bW4v1s4ncx2_vD_HU2vZnEqm-FzX1eeW9nXce8cKIFtwnofN5Y3bTnAyKfWENrwjBB8hLKgBpcHmI0ImRh3BK8k7u5gG12XZp5u3mXF0KODZKiPwTeJvx/s4032/IMG_6033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLfHk0q3ae4AR4q8MOE1IVQWQprBwY1B8KSKhcmLi6Xnpsi2Yc1prrim_b3sOgHoK5rnYZt7bW4v1s4ncx2_vD_HU2vZnEqm-FzX1eeW9nXce8cKIFtwnofN5Y3bTnAyKfWENrwjBB8hLKgBpcHmI0ImRh3BK8k7u5gG12XZp5u3mXF0KODZKiPwTeJvx/w640-h480/IMG_6033.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QQ is assembled and ready for flight by 10:00 A.M.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div>I had come up with an ambitious task to take advantage of the great soaring conditions. The plan was to launch from Front Royal as early as we could get aloft; somewhere before noon would be preferable. The task starts at the southern end of the Massanutten mountain at Laird's Knob. From there, we would head north along the Massanutten ridge, find some thermals, and cross terrain using thermals for lift. The goal was to get to Dickey's Mountain in Pennsylvania. At that point, we could scream along the Tuscarora mountain past McConnellsburg, PA. We could make a transition to Shade Mountain, and go to the planned turn point on Shade Mountain near Snook airport (PS06). Then we'd turn around and come back. The whole trip was planned to be 560 kilometers out and return. We would get more credit on OLC for the trip down to Laird's Knob to start, and the trip back from Laird's knob after the finish. </div><div>[<a href="https://seeyou.cloud/xcplanner?ci=public-task&vn=taskpoints&vi=clixe67p30057336evjvg57q7" target="_blank">Link to Task on SeeYou.Cloud</a>]<br /><div> </div></div><div>The night before included preparation by measuring 60 liters of water for the wings, and another 15 liters of water we'll use for adding tail ballast. I put the water into 20 liter jugs, so we didn't have to spend valuable time measuring water in the morning. Adding water will get the mass of the glider much closer to the maximum gross weight. This allows us to fly faster when the conditions are strong, and have a smoother flight while on the ridge. We'll add water to the tail to make it easier to center thermals, while we're not ridge soaring. Last year I wrote a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to calculate and display the weight and center of gravity, when programmed with pilot weights, oxygen bottles, liters of water, etc. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupfkTG3r96tVIToo_oZOgK4U0QBP1Tsbhrd2Fhl7xEDksFHZDeF3vCqG1mhH07IXpVXsR0C9ViSdtaYjbzuDRPC8TGTfgjVRsKgVbX8YtcJjM-X_L3O7xk2OYYEEbZBAWtffLNy20xShlduC8_XeJxw5fX0-RTTblbPyOFVLS7XwEBcr2-wDBhwF8p1b8/s871/Screenshot%202023-06-15%20180507.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="871" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhupfkTG3r96tVIToo_oZOgK4U0QBP1Tsbhrd2Fhl7xEDksFHZDeF3vCqG1mhH07IXpVXsR0C9ViSdtaYjbzuDRPC8TGTfgjVRsKgVbX8YtcJjM-X_L3O7xk2OYYEEbZBAWtffLNy20xShlduC8_XeJxw5fX0-RTTblbPyOFVLS7XwEBcr2-wDBhwF8p1b8/w640-h480/Screenshot%202023-06-15%20180507.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loaded with 60 liters of water in the wings, we're going to be heavy!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyHYXGybW0rY3WnJmsVtkw1nOLkZTwK7jKH95a4bkKnpp9WWwBuxFLqmLfWFKTut6xEqLMPIvtB1VyUORpLDNFUgnaHxHwAOhGUtyym832Bm4E9DoWVETdHlHF4DFsXmLI4YBWFXKofs66aAXjVoXYKdBHT8YMlnybtgaJCIbE6h8Gt58CqZ-YOmKsKlC/s4032/IMG_6035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyHYXGybW0rY3WnJmsVtkw1nOLkZTwK7jKH95a4bkKnpp9WWwBuxFLqmLfWFKTut6xEqLMPIvtB1VyUORpLDNFUgnaHxHwAOhGUtyym832Bm4E9DoWVETdHlHF4DFsXmLI4YBWFXKofs66aAXjVoXYKdBHT8YMlnybtgaJCIbE6h8Gt58CqZ-YOmKsKlC/w300-h400/IMG_6035.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding 11 liters of water to the tail before takeoff</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>We launched just before noon. We headed straight to the northernmost portion of the Massanutten mountain, to a location named "Signal Knob". We flew along the ridge, and it seemed like it was working well. We descended down to 2200 feet MSL, and I started to take note that the flight computer was reading a wind velocity of 6 knots at ridge top height. I spent some time doing figure 8 motions where the lift was stronger. Maybe the winds weren't strong enough yet? </div><div>Also of note was the fact that the visibility was <b><u>terrible</u></b>. I hadn't seen any prediction of such poor visibility in the forecast. It was hard to see more than about 5 miles down the ridge due to smoggy haze. </div><div>We made it down to Laird's Knob near Harrisonburg, VA. There, we turned around, and I had increased confidence that the ridge was working. As we approached the part of the Massanutten where route 211 passes through the mountain, I made some figure-8 turns to gain height. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="329" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wwLkf8MmHVI" width="396" youtube-src-id="wwLkf8MmHVI"></iframe></div><div><br /></div>By the time we got back to Woodstock, VA, a hang glider launched and was soaring in thermals. We joined him for a short bit. </div><div>After getting past the Massanutten, we blundered out into the hazy smog, looking for thermals. <br /><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWClaxY39urBE3IzbEssIEV5ppL8RLj-DRxjivoHd8n1SyosGWP2ruj1pGMLdkAR_KgoDi9Ow8HiviAiRtE4tB0vH5ysh-B8eQP5bCQx-oR9fyXqWVY-sjob_6U7zKPGLdSDyVhc6-B52_dkSR66EyB5lj-qVISgMOAjGZiMj6dL3LP4-BwtXi5Q3BF5G/s622/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20214135.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="478" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWClaxY39urBE3IzbEssIEV5ppL8RLj-DRxjivoHd8n1SyosGWP2ruj1pGMLdkAR_KgoDi9Ow8HiviAiRtE4tB0vH5ysh-B8eQP5bCQx-oR9fyXqWVY-sjob_6U7zKPGLdSDyVhc6-B52_dkSR66EyB5lj-qVISgMOAjGZiMj6dL3LP4-BwtXi5Q3BF5G/w492-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20214135.png" width="492" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Satellite photo of the clouds at 14:00</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfczrbEFKZUnHSpTTtX8UFVZGPmsJzivah2gnPE2Q3gl5AeS3M11dk8pXk1amh0Y61LbrJfxbCKrDyEq4Rk2JJ_8GIrZPk0uVvSZDymfoAv0CkXJGg9O06hrr8-nvrez5iao_m1jgYuDErL0o6Styrc1Tj-VlpBhO3oO7hdmihS-lWECCdwxiwoFReNgMa/s466/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20215633.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfczrbEFKZUnHSpTTtX8UFVZGPmsJzivah2gnPE2Q3gl5AeS3M11dk8pXk1amh0Y61LbrJfxbCKrDyEq4Rk2JJ_8GIrZPk0uVvSZDymfoAv0CkXJGg9O06hrr8-nvrez5iao_m1jgYuDErL0o6Styrc1Tj-VlpBhO3oO7hdmihS-lWECCdwxiwoFReNgMa/s320/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20215633.png" width="235" /></a></div>14:00 By the time we got north of Winchester, we were way behind my time plan. I really wanted to launch earlier, I really wanted that ridge lift on the Massanutten to be more reliable, I really wanted the thermals to be stronger by this point. I was starting to get anxious that the day was going to run out of soaring while we were still far from home! <br /><p>We found some marginal thermals -- one near Gore VA -- that got us closer to the West Virginia border. We headed north and finally found a thermal that gave us a really comfortable altitude of around 6000 feet MSL. The valley in front of us didn't have as wide a selection of suitable landout fields that we can usually find in the Shenandoah Valley. This wasn't treacherous terrain, though. </p><p>A few more thermals got us to within gliding range of <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/r1EfnZ3qyQCdtLTp6" target="_blank">Potomac Airpark</a>, which is right across the river from Hanover, Maryland. I knew once we had a good altitude over the Potomac river, we could easily connect with the Pennsylvania ridge system. </p><p>The winds had been really reducing our speed for all these thermals. For each thousand feet we climbed in a thermal, the wind would push us 5 or 6 miles perpendicular to our course. It would be a really welcome change to have a high ground speed, instead of inching along with thermals. </p><p>By 3 PM, we had finally reached the southern end of Dickey's Mountain, and the Tuscarora mountain ridge behind it was sure to be a great ridge run at 100 to 110 knots. It did not disappoint! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q-4O1MZoxIk" width="320" youtube-src-id="q-4O1MZoxIk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tuscarora Ridge Soaring</div><p>We were way behind on my time plan. I was growing increasingly nervous about how we weren't as far along as I had hoped. Back on Friday, when I was planning this flight, <a href="https://www.skysight.io" target="_blank">SkySight</a> told me that the task was impossible considering the conditions. I was starting to wonder if the software was right!</p><p>The task I had planned included one transition to an upwind mountain range. This is a place where I would need a thermal to get high enough to go up wind and connect with Shade Mountain. Unfortunately, by the time we got to that part of the ridges, things were not looking so good. The haze had set in, there was a really thick cloud over that area. We had no idea how the conditions were ahead on Shade Mountain. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRf2r8bDXlR-4AQ1BSezK_7ZizRFB2jhhAAeNH6V4p9y9jdv4DC7n---KR8bLf7RucpCtwuchq4uxO8EseL3gW2AEkaqbTG6eRtbhcFi4pXub43Viqsx44j0HNGLdH6M4-KbcHiRHtorJYjTKkxL5496x7DDUlpzC6TT_60LDkEJRDl9XZoh3Uhf9OxqQy/s472/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20221418.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="347" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRf2r8bDXlR-4AQ1BSezK_7ZizRFB2jhhAAeNH6V4p9y9jdv4DC7n---KR8bLf7RucpCtwuchq4uxO8EseL3gW2AEkaqbTG6eRtbhcFi4pXub43Viqsx44j0HNGLdH6M4-KbcHiRHtorJYjTKkxL5496x7DDUlpzC6TT_60LDkEJRDl9XZoh3Uhf9OxqQy/s320/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20221418.png" width="235" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sat Photo of the terrain for that transition</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT_W0Tss1qatTmvGfIdThN73pa0Kl7Na00v5Yy3HyJu7iXUDNwY66sQZ1MrfmRtUojC4a_xXHgjbwHGZF571c7DXpT0MEr8iutdSqnhA8E3BnJB8QrJxuU5kY_BN8GVZ1z3ktlcp6TcIy1DlbKVzhPsCRhW6vP7tyPuY6GmDreM-OXtd7M8h5SbmOEhRy/s486/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20221509.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT_W0Tss1qatTmvGfIdThN73pa0Kl7Na00v5Yy3HyJu7iXUDNwY66sQZ1MrfmRtUojC4a_xXHgjbwHGZF571c7DXpT0MEr8iutdSqnhA8E3BnJB8QrJxuU5kY_BN8GVZ1z3ktlcp6TcIy1DlbKVzhPsCRhW6vP7tyPuY6GmDreM-OXtd7M8h5SbmOEhRy/s320/Screenshot%202023-06-19%20221509.png" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sat photo of the cloud conditions when we got there</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>It just didn't look good. I really didn't want to get stuck on Shade Mountain for the rest of the day. I really didn't want to have to land out at the bottom of one of those mountains. (The fields around here are quite landable, and I would have made a safe landing for sure). We had another 60 miles to go on the ridges to get to the turnpoint. We had another 60 miles to get back. At 100 knots (a very realistic speed), it would take us nearly an hour to get back to this point on the ridge again. And who knows if the conditions are going to allow for a thermal to jump back from Shade Mountain to the Tuscarora?</p><p>I decided to turn back. You know, we had already made an excellent trip up here, and the conditions weren't looking that great up ahead. I stand by my decision. Now we just had to get home! This looked like it was going to become increasingly difficult. </p><p>We headed south on the Tuscarora back to Dickey's Mountain. There, we would have to find some sort of thermal to get off of the Pennsylvania ridges. The thick layer of clouds above looked like they were going to shut off the thermals for sure. Maybe we will be landing in Pennsylvania, after all! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q0kx5kxKErQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="q0kx5kxKErQ"></iframe></div><br /><p>Once we got to the bottom of Dickey's Mountain, we faced the challenge of climbing up to escape the ridge system. At first, there was no real lift to work. We needed to hang around for a bit to find something strong enough to get us high. The overcast wasn't helping. I took over and performed some figure 8's in front of Dickey's Mountain. We noticed a nice cloud had formed over the track we just flew under. Given the wind strength, there was no way the mountain we just flew along generated that lift, it had to come from a source upwind. </p><p>I took the glider upwind on the other, smaller ridge, and found a great strong thermal to get us out of that mess. By the time we got out, the thermal had gotten us from 2900 feet to 5300 feet, and we had made our escape to the East. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbYsOPt1Do8KbLF2Lndgt0CgMgCFyz5OGxYDTetff4Q2BWV3EDpajgmWwN1EfPmN_lrwiqabxR-uRhQe_6_n8akb-LmvTyljv3JzB18Oej0lLEwjzbSsVK66b4zaMSwg1ogrYdNmYuv-_GOpVI0ytY9l8lqEzGxXitdb93tGsgAgBdljNtg2F0WDkXOmF/s626/Dickeys%20Mountain%20Escape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbYsOPt1Do8KbLF2Lndgt0CgMgCFyz5OGxYDTetff4Q2BWV3EDpajgmWwN1EfPmN_lrwiqabxR-uRhQe_6_n8akb-LmvTyljv3JzB18Oej0lLEwjzbSsVK66b4zaMSwg1ogrYdNmYuv-_GOpVI0ytY9l8lqEzGxXitdb93tGsgAgBdljNtg2F0WDkXOmF/w368-h400/Dickeys%20Mountain%20Escape.jpg" width="368" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our escape from Dickey's mountain required a strong thermal on the upwind slope</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Once we successfully escaped from Dickey's Mountain, we still had a long way to get home. Dickey's Mountain is 55 miles away from the Front Royal Airport, and things aren't looking that great. There are a few clouds in front of us, but all of the clouds to the left of our track (to the North) look like total garbage. In the meantime, the radio chatter from Mid-Atlantic Soaring in Fairfield, PA is asking their duty officer to check for radar echoes. The grey clouds looked ominous enough to them to make them wonder if some rain showers were developing. </div><div>Since our task of going to Snook and back was canceled, maybe we can scrounge a little bit of glory back from this flight by landing at M-ASA and getting the Boomerang trophy... again. We tune the flight computer, and at one point, we were 500 feet below glide slope to make it to M-ASA. After hearing the negative words from M-ASA, and seeing the yucky clouds, we make a right turn to continue heading home. But that takes us right over the Hagerstown Class D airspace. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we got to the airspace around Hagerstown, MD, we got down to about 3700 feet MSL. The Hagerstown Class D is at 3200 feet. In order to get into that airspace, we needed to establish radio contact with the control tower. I looked up the frequency in the flight computer. Nelson called the control tower and got us clearance to transition the airspace if necessary, as we transitioned south. We found some nice thermals over some warehouses. We got a good look at the airport as we crossed nearly overhead. There was a DHL cargo plane parked on the ramp, and there were a few fire-fighting airplanes that I didn't get a good enough look at. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniOOazo7P0y37Ryfq4Z6-JHK7eQSXvE3eaidfA2W4E1TDxp-7ijtYRptUcvAXQnSVN807wnNSfT7rHwkItO2lTRsTkIVyfOkm-XsrWHrDLXOfjmISDK1FTuRB0qmC9eT61ninzum8Gk8ZDCy_iVuzRS8NukSF4vC1-MC9TDtHjSatJHsu64LHbEh84mMt/s723/Hagarstown%20Class%20Delta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="723" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniOOazo7P0y37Ryfq4Z6-JHK7eQSXvE3eaidfA2W4E1TDxp-7ijtYRptUcvAXQnSVN807wnNSfT7rHwkItO2lTRsTkIVyfOkm-XsrWHrDLXOfjmISDK1FTuRB0qmC9eT61ninzum8Gk8ZDCy_iVuzRS8NukSF4vC1-MC9TDtHjSatJHsu64LHbEh84mMt/w400-h239/Hagarstown%20Class%20Delta.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>We found a thermal to the south of Hagerstown, MD. It is very likely that this thermal was generated by the Maryland Correctional Institution, or the Roxbury Correctional Institution. By looking at the circles we flew, it sure does look like the solar panels they have in the southwest part of that property are what kicked off that thermal. </p><p>Somewhere around here, I suggest that the thermals haven't been that good lately. Maybe we should dump the water ballast so we can work the weaker thermals. Of course, once we dumped the water ballast, the thermals got much stronger. We dumped the water at 16:23, according to the flight logs. Four minutes later, we find a great thermal right over the Potomac River. We climbed from 2600 feet to 5640 feet in a matter of 10 minutes. I had some time to look at the scenery, and I noticed some kayakers on the Potomac river below. It had been over four hours since we took off, so I took advantage while Nelson was flying. Nelson was doing the circling while I was... uh... dumping my own water ballast. Sometimes it's really good to have two pilots on-board for these long flights. </p><p>Things started getting easy again. We had escaped the overcast yucky skies to the north, and the thermal clouds are looking better. The visibility was improving. I could just barely make out the Massanutten mountain at Signal Knob about 15 miles away. </p><p>"Do you really want to land back at Front Royal, or do you want to run the ridge again?" </p><p>Of course Nelson said, "Yeah! Let's run the ridge again!" </p><p>We made Signal Knob at 2400 feet MSL, just slightly higher than the mountain. Yep. The ridge was working, and it was working well. Unfortunately, we didn't have any water ballast, so this ride was a bit rougher than the ride along the Tuscarora a few hours earlier. </p><p>Nelson did the ridge run southbound, and I took over once we passed the turnpoint at Laird's Knob. On the way back northbound, Nelson got out his iPhone and started recording. We had a great video of the glider's shadow on the mountain. As we approached Route 211, I spotted some hikers on the <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/virginia/massanutten-south-trail-to-yellow-cliffs-mountain-overlook">Yellow Cliffs Mountain Overlook</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/huUPxGBSbtk" width="320" youtube-src-id="huUPxGBSbtk"></iframe></div><br /><p>While I'm doing all the flying, Nelson made a time-lapse video of the ridge run on the northern part of the Massanutten. You can see from this video the transition across Short Mountain. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ssyWi4jWxbU" width="320" youtube-src-id="ssyWi4jWxbU"></iframe></div><br /><p>We safely landed after 6 hours and 48 minutes of flying. What a day! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vAckEo2NM-HKWXYY-cfqKFpUI2w66df2NKKhAYQJlSOcDMauw06TfKQAVtHjiZyA9XVHAOYyfoMEC63azXlge8kfGBMLWC4T__G9EtIA2rrwYIy3T0DmtBSxuRDrEtQ1sYIFB8druMUfqPWR11XlkzobLflZYOyM3ac1flQzAI4qAh75bcYnvTlpHDj0/s4032/IMG_6067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5vAckEo2NM-HKWXYY-cfqKFpUI2w66df2NKKhAYQJlSOcDMauw06TfKQAVtHjiZyA9XVHAOYyfoMEC63azXlge8kfGBMLWC4T__G9EtIA2rrwYIy3T0DmtBSxuRDrEtQ1sYIFB8druMUfqPWR11XlkzobLflZYOyM3ac1flQzAI4qAh75bcYnvTlpHDj0/w640-h480/IMG_6067.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piet Barber (left), Nelson Brandt (right) after almost 7 hours of flying</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'm happy that the ground crew stuck around to help us put the glider away. We spent another 45 minutes cleaning the wings, taking the wings off, putting the fuselage back into the trailer. I wear a special apron when I'm assembling and disassembling the glider. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TNvVjT_oxKEAkza7t0L01r9FdfEqqNMqQ49k0z3AxoaRuLnzBjmbM2_JXneetbmOmAIO6u2K_D_nS72GEC9-1SKoHL3H2JTbHsuPaC89qDM19-V0N5gYQUCLRKG9LmPpg_hPyXiF_fNYGlfhl24sN2188ZNzS-a1xdwmS20MXxtwz2NNmqJD3QxutqlG/s4032/IMG_6075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TNvVjT_oxKEAkza7t0L01r9FdfEqqNMqQ49k0z3AxoaRuLnzBjmbM2_JXneetbmOmAIO6u2K_D_nS72GEC9-1SKoHL3H2JTbHsuPaC89qDM19-V0N5gYQUCLRKG9LmPpg_hPyXiF_fNYGlfhl24sN2188ZNzS-a1xdwmS20MXxtwz2NNmqJD3QxutqlG/w640-h480/IMG_6075.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another safe put-away after a day of soaring!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Post Flight Analysis: </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>When we were coming back, I don't know why we didn't use the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east to ridge run back to VA. We probably could have spent an hour less time circling over Hagerstown, Martinsburg, Winchester. The transition back upwind to Signal Knob might have been challenging. On the other hand, we could have continued down on the Blue Ridge until we got to Interstate I-64. </li><li>I think the next time, I'll spend more time looking at the ridge lift near Berkeley Springs, WV. I think we could have cut down on some of the thermal time by doing some ridge lift before jumping across the Potomac River. </li><li>In retrospect, it looks like the clouds just beyond the jump to Shade Mountain meant that we could have very easily continued the journey to Snook (our intended waypoint). I didn't know this at the time. Maybe we should have pulled up the sat photo on ForeFlight before making the decision to turn back. </li><li>I need to clean the canopy before flying next time. I can see dust accumulated on the canopy in the GoPro videos. </li><li>I really need to find a better way to mount the GoPro in the cockpit. A lot of the GoPro footage was ruined by Nelson's big hat. </li><li>Nelson flies with a hat in his lap to keep the sun off of his hands. That's weird, and makes the video of him flying look weird. Why is your hand under your hat in your lap? Sheezh. </li><li>Nelson and I get along really well in the cockpit, and have similar thoughts on the decisions we make. </li><li>I'm getting better about only turning to the left when I thermal. Doing right hand turns really helps with the GoPro footage when the camera is mounted on the right side of the canopy. </li><li>I have figured out how to find when the flight computer records the change in mass due to dumping the water ballast. Just do a search for the word "wet" (in lower case) in the IGC file. </li><li>The next time I do a plan like this, maybe I should stay on the Tuscarora ridge, instead of doing the difficult transition to Shade for no appreciable difference in miles. </li><li>We had the 11th highest score in the US for Saturday. We had the highest score east of the Mississippi River. All of the other OLC pilots in the USA had flights out of Region 9 or Region 12 (Warner Springs and Parowan)</li></ol><div>Flight Log Links: <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/289375" target="_blank">WeGlide</a> / <a href="https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=9498058#comment=undefined&map=" target="_blank">OLC</a> / <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6i2GWMwyOCHmC-wC2SOs0-?u=i">SeeYou.Cloud</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p></div></div>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0Front Royal-Warren County Airport, 229 Stokes Airport Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA38.9188194 -78.248184210.608585563821151 -113.4044342 67.229053236178842 -43.0919342tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-54307966573105535622023-06-11T22:29:00.005-04:002023-06-12T09:41:46.649-04:00Two Boomerang Flights in One DayThe night before, I saw SkySight's prediction that Saturday was going to be a great soaring day. <div>SkySight had actually been predicting a great soaring day for several days in advance, but I knew that the conditions were going to be great. Recently, there had been some great soaring days ruined by a lot of smoke from a wildfire in Canada. I spent some time looking at the satellite photos, and air quality reports, and determined that SkySight was probably correct. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiMSbdC5eP2Ku1EZawzkDyqfiuEkCCAyA0kCZM9cHHpjDmdBEWn8jKVmYTGMzWreGPKVPNmoy2ySkTn47eT46ZNGoDgEo426GemPvjUQgQqheXzi3uHciMFijMaypPBXIGO-lsUGhVWQ9mD-WnE2SC7LINQ5mxzBE2TJ2fpO-m22KvMUTYibu9sc5Ig/s508/SkySight-June-10.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="508" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiMSbdC5eP2Ku1EZawzkDyqfiuEkCCAyA0kCZM9cHHpjDmdBEWn8jKVmYTGMzWreGPKVPNmoy2ySkTn47eT46ZNGoDgEo426GemPvjUQgQqheXzi3uHciMFijMaypPBXIGO-lsUGhVWQ9mD-WnE2SC7LINQ5mxzBE2TJ2fpO-m22KvMUTYibu9sc5Ig/w640-h434/SkySight-June-10.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SkySight.io thermal strength prediction for 10 June. Yellow means thermals are 5.5 knots in strength</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwY8U6Fa0i-Nv-qi_hebUY952dAv0ALcpUgXNSgGOMs6r-yJFylJcFkST3wVJkV50pmCz5vHqNSWXWQeT5vUtBFM-S-Icdmod65tMj0capqoCB3p5aDDcKT8tO9cBkwa6Fo0bJf3jvWCbaJRtEleR2uOZ3iT3IU4PrnHfHwpkizovf5uFvW4LK5ag5YQ/s466/Screenshot%202023-06-11%20222755.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="466" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwY8U6Fa0i-Nv-qi_hebUY952dAv0ALcpUgXNSgGOMs6r-yJFylJcFkST3wVJkV50pmCz5vHqNSWXWQeT5vUtBFM-S-Icdmod65tMj0capqoCB3p5aDDcKT8tO9cBkwa6Fo0bJf3jvWCbaJRtEleR2uOZ3iT3IU4PrnHfHwpkizovf5uFvW4LK5ag5YQ/w640-h608/Screenshot%202023-06-11%20222755.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SkySight.io prediction for thermal height. My route is in black. Orange is 7000 feet. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>There were a few items of maintenance that I had deferred since the contest. This included some boring things like updating the firmware on the flight computer. I showed up to the airfield early enough to take care of these items without any serious time pressure. </div><div>Evan volunteered for co-pilot duties. Since he's nice and light (158 pounds), we had a lot of room for water in the wings, and no need for water in the tail. We had loaded 40 liters of water in the wings. We had room for another 40 liters, but I didn't want to spend the extra time getting the water in the wings. </div><div>We released over the Massanutten and immediately climbed in our first thermal. The first thermal wasn't that strong, so we moved on to an area somewhere around Interstate 66, north of Signal Knob. There, we found a strong thermal that took us closer to cloud base.</div><div>Evan and I picked clouds and flew to them. Each time I got to the top of a thermal, I'd ask Evan's opinion on which of the 3 clouds ahead we should take. There was no point where we were desperate for thermals, and every cloud was a reliable source of a thermal. It was a very easy day to do a cross-country flight, and it's a terrible shame that there were so few private gliders flying on Saturday.<br />Evan and I continued north towards Martinsburg, WV, then north to Hagerstown, MD. We established a good final glide, flying to the northwest of the P-40 prohibited airspace. <br /><br />M-ASA operates on 123.3, so I was already on their frequency. At 4 miles out, I declared "Mid-Atlantic traffic, Quebec-Quebec, Four miles out." Immediately the peanut gallery started responding, "Oh, not you again!" <br />We flew over the airport, I called "Quebec-Quebec, Finish", and we connected with a few more thermals just to have fun. I flew alongside their club's 2-33, and one of their club's ASK-21s. I was flying alongside Danny Brotto in his LS-8, when I got a call from M-ASA ground. "Are you coming in to land, or what?" They asked me to land, so I dumped water ballast and pulled spoilers. It took us an hour and 40 minutes to fly over M-ASA after release. We landed at 15:00. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Flight Log: <a href="https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=9472058#map=" target="_blank">OLC / </a><a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6i0mmJBlNfelV_pa6ybRIV?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou </a>/ <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/281833" target="_blank">WeGlide</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>As we landed, we saw an LS-4 lining up for take-off. It was Peter Glause flying their club's glider, Romeo Delta. Peter is the guy who got the boomerang back from us back in May. Peter was launching to Front Royal to re-acquire the trophy. There are no rules against two moves of the boomerang trophy in one day. (we checked!) (see below)</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2toqKWdY6Lo26FRofzTnJDoAtiyjeXEkQVRs8AZwuibpHYuUbR9KbSrBcjCN2FLoAkG7SFuTF15K6zUQXEoR2qorRyct8DC2-KjjOmQopQYRtilNSIWxeuzB-RLgWnAVcVKOxAM6xXPFS9wnjiJpHQlaKd2MYDexmZsynPQW6fppChpj5_rmSJBglQ/s1280/348383147_1289009391823650_1195357998560426600_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2toqKWdY6Lo26FRofzTnJDoAtiyjeXEkQVRs8AZwuibpHYuUbR9KbSrBcjCN2FLoAkG7SFuTF15K6zUQXEoR2qorRyct8DC2-KjjOmQopQYRtilNSIWxeuzB-RLgWnAVcVKOxAM6xXPFS9wnjiJpHQlaKd2MYDexmZsynPQW6fppChpj5_rmSJBglQ/w640-h360/348383147_1289009391823650_1195357998560426600_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Glause is launching to re-retrieve the Boomerang trophy</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><div>We took a few pictures at M-ASA to commemorate the reception of the Boomerang Trophy. However, the trophy was not brought to us from their clubhouse. Mike Higgins suggested that we could get a quick aerotow to 3000 feet, and soar back to Virginia. Or we could wait a bit longer and aero tow back to Front Royal. </div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UY4QFosVW7nV9K86V2EeBaNltwRp_TaRmRdnCGrQBezN7VYYbKg4bbvDE9Iwp4_kWejNdq-BaIuAkoT37ibkgkypCA7bnkr1ugb6nEC5oKM7gyRErKl2jg9CKMSL31v29A79hT92fNV_zoFqG2WHdGnZvYcA_KSMDWmvhTvOyslJM5XY7jQVRJ6Lzw/s4080/PXL_20230610_191438216.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0UY4QFosVW7nV9K86V2EeBaNltwRp_TaRmRdnCGrQBezN7VYYbKg4bbvDE9Iwp4_kWejNdq-BaIuAkoT37ibkgkypCA7bnkr1ugb6nEC5oKM7gyRErKl2jg9CKMSL31v29A79hT92fNV_zoFqG2WHdGnZvYcA_KSMDWmvhTvOyslJM5XY7jQVRJ6Lzw/w640-h482/PXL_20230610_191438216.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evan Dosik and I successfully got the Boomerang Trophy... for a few minutes at least. <br />Check out the Pawnee in the background. It's launching Peter Glause. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The conditions were still booming. After all, we pulled spoilers from 6000 feet to land in short order. Instead of running to the clubhouse to get a picture with the Boomerang trophy, we got back in the glider and launched as quickly as MASA's tow queue allowed. We launched again at 15:29. </div><div>After a 3000 foot tow, we connected with a thermal that took us up to about 6600 feet. </div><div>On the way back, we chose cloud-after-cloud, and all of them worked reliably. By the time we got to Martinsburg, WV, we had 8000 feet, and the flight computer said that we were within a few hundred feet of a final glide to Front Royal with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_to_fly">MacCready </a>of 2. We found another nice thermal, and tuned the MacCready to 3.0, and had 700 feet to spare after that. I set out for a long final glide, and I even found a street along the way; which was conveniently lined up with our route home. We did the long final glide somewhere around 80 knots. </div><div>By the time we landed, Peter had already made it to Front Royal. He had a 15 minute head start in front of us, and had taken the eastern path around P-40. He had crossed over to the Shenandoah Valley somewhere around Harpers Ferry. As of Sunday evening, Peter has not uploaded the flight log to OLC. </div><div><br /></div><div>Flight Log: <a href="https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=9473052#map=" target="_blank">OLC / </a><a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6i0n7IJpP7alVvL5aH8jh-?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou </a>/ <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/282055" target="_blank">WeGlide</a><br /><br /></div><div>There have been some questions raised about the validity of the fact that the Boomerang Trophy moved twice in one day. Let's review the rules: <a href="https://www.brss.net/boomerang/">https://www.brss.net/boomerang/</a></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>To claim the Boomerang, you must fly a minimum of 100km (50km if L/D is less than 30:1) and land at the site where the trophy resides. Straight line or dog leg flights are permissible, and FAI rules apply</li><li>The flight must originate within a 500km radius of New Castle, VA.</li><li>The longest flight of the day wins. In case of a tie distance over different courses, the best speed over the course wins.</li><li>Team efforts are permitted, in which case each pilots name will be engraved on the trophy.</li><li>A pilot may not be involved in 2 consecutive moves of the trophy.</li><li>When the trophy is claimed, the pilot is asked to notify the Blue Ridge Soaring Society of its new location.</li></ol></div></div><div>So let's evaluate the two flights with each rule. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Piet's flight from Front Royal to Mid-Atlantic Soaring: </h3><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Flight was 75 miles which is more than 100 km. We landed at the site where the trophy resides. "FAI rules apply". OK. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but OK. ✅</li><li>The flight originated from a 500 km radius of New Castle, VA. New Castle is 231 km from Front Royal. Check. ✅</li><li>The longest flight of the day wins. I was the only one to fly to M-ASA. So this checks out. ✅</li><li>Team efforts are permitted. I flew this in one glider, there were not multiple gliders enroute. ✅</li><li>I was not involved with the last trophy move, that was Peter Glause. ✅</li><li>I updated the brss.net <a href="http://boomerangtrophy.pbworks.com/w/page/28739519/Claim%20History">boomerang wiki</a> tonight ✅</li></ol><div>Now let's evaluate Peter's claim to the boomerang trophy to get it back to Fairfield, PA. </div></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Peter's flight from Mid-Atlantic Soaring to Front Royal: </h3><div><ol><li>Peter's flight was 75 miles which is more than 100 km. While the trophy was physically still in Fairfield, PA, it virtually resided in Front Royal after I claimed the Boomerang trophy with my landing at 15:00. Check. ✅</li><li>The flight originated from a 500 km radius of New Castle, VA. New Castle is 347 km from M-ASA. Check. ✅</li><li>The longest flight of the day wins. I was the only one to fly to M-ASA. So this checks out. ✅</li><li>Team efforts are permitted. Peter flew this route in front of me, and it was not a team effort. While I made the trip too, I didn't make any claims to the trophy for my second flight. ✅</li><li>Peter Glause was not involved with the last trophy move, that was me, 2 hours prior. ✅</li><li>I updated the brss.net <a href="http://boomerangtrophy.pbworks.com/w/page/28739519/Claim%20History">boomerang wiki</a> tonight ✅ </li></ol><div>Here's Peter Glause's flight to Front Royal on OLC <a href="https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=9481191#map=">https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=9481191#map=</a></div></div></div>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-4641059595184826872023-06-04T16:20:00.001-04:002023-06-04T16:20:10.672-04:00Why Does Piet Fly So Slow, Mifflin Day 2<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Introduction: </h3>Day 2 was a classic "Mifflin Day", with suitably strong winds from the north. The shape of the mountains in this area favor a task that goes to the north and east of the Mifflin airport. The task for day 2 was: <p></p><table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#94ABF6"><th colspan="4">Turnpoints</th></tr><tr bgcolor="#94ABF6"><th colspan="1">#</th><th colspan="1">ID</th><th colspan="1">Name</th><th colspan="1">Radius</th></tr><tr><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">Start</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">44</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">Start D</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;"></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">-</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">26</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">SchuylkillCo</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">20.0</td></tr><tr><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">-</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">1</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">Honey Grove</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">10.0</td></tr><tr><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">-</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">35</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">Shade Mtn</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">10.0</td></tr><tr><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">-</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">9</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">Mill Creek</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">15.0</td></tr><tr><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">Finish</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">51</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">FINISH</td><td style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 9px;">2.0</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's a map overview of all the gliders that flew in the 20m multi-seat class: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qJgFhkP348-V3gEKoAeQz1RyPLYhb7jAUFQq4cZtKq7rIaSEFNjkx_kI_NbfZ6DPghDi5rdJpi11KJSxVAAz9Vdkzbfcrtl0IE8pJdji3SrDQXka8NSsSyKadNWqs8Vj37-iSH91Z6CNm2jROAXuvqRrTGRUnf33XbHH9VuYjQIJzOca-xnU-iTDng/s1880/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20160501.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="1880" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qJgFhkP348-V3gEKoAeQz1RyPLYhb7jAUFQq4cZtKq7rIaSEFNjkx_kI_NbfZ6DPghDi5rdJpi11KJSxVAAz9Vdkzbfcrtl0IE8pJdji3SrDQXka8NSsSyKadNWqs8Vj37-iSH91Z6CNm2jROAXuvqRrTGRUnf33XbHH9VuYjQIJzOca-xnU-iTDng/w640-h256/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20160501.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The turn areas are indicated as large red circles. QQ is in dark red, and the winner for the day, Hotel-Hotel is in cyan. I ranked a terrible 12th for the day. The only competitors who did worse than me were Hotel-Seven and Four-Delta. Hotel-Seven landed at Selingsgrove (just next to the Susquehanna river) and Four-Delta motored home. When I saw my place on the scoresheet, I couldn't believe how poorly I ranked for what I thought was a good flying day. Let's figure out where I went wrong. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Piet's Flight Narrative:</h3><div>I started as soon as we were allowed. I started at the most southerly part of the start line as I could, at the highest altitude I could make. I headed straight to Shade Mountain. KS flew along my left wing, faster, and got to Shade Mountain first. He had a much higher speed along the ridge than I did, but we ended up getting to the turnpoint at Shade Mountain at about the same time. We connected with a strong thermal, and made the jump over the Susquehanna River. KS was much further ahead than I was. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG3HyIS7jubSA8mKv59clrEWPensc0p9LJHuls2D3ZluYA5xIU0vH_6cdnHJLVqfFOi3RIDIGSpx_kGADmMGvGQ7bLgv9HIDhgcN90QeZoVadGBhDsKqNT_bU59BDFDOXE9Hg_S4GuJyN-_N9nXfsR2VwZe4xBcCJBjDln4DN7HPHcCTPFeAmxeOLPw/s1127/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20161432.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="1127" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxG3HyIS7jubSA8mKv59clrEWPensc0p9LJHuls2D3ZluYA5xIU0vH_6cdnHJLVqfFOi3RIDIGSpx_kGADmMGvGQ7bLgv9HIDhgcN90QeZoVadGBhDsKqNT_bU59BDFDOXE9Hg_S4GuJyN-_N9nXfsR2VwZe4xBcCJBjDln4DN7HPHcCTPFeAmxeOLPw/w640-h212/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20161432.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>You can see the gliders following KS and me as we head toward the Susquehanna River. This is before we climbed in a thermal. This part of the mountain isn't as good for ridge soaring, so our ground speed had to slow down significantly at this part of Shade Mountain. </div><div><br /></div><div>I turned around about five miles too early. Karl was much further ahead of me on the Northumberland mountain, and turned around at about the same time. I think I lost about 8 miles total distance by turning around early. I'm not sure why I turned around here. In retrospect, I should have gone further. Looking at all of the other traces, everybody turned around about the same place Karl (KS) did. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we tried to jump back across the river, a traffic jam formed up. Many of the gliders that were behind me started to pile up near the river. We all struggled to find enough thermal. I headed out early, and found a strong thermal right over the river. (Yeah, this doesn't make sense to me, either). </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWi2UsJCAhFiQolJqCse5x85E5lIzQFu2JUBMjt-czbtC13zDYJPJ6-mYpWZm9IeLBlVLUqdrxCzTI56A4KdMz7qO2gx835Kn_1aFuJ25qFoq4heqSK2CpiEKeO4ZhFnvUr1GYsW9XNz_Wpgdpw5ZrHztfsfa_xjO6D6ieKrUv0QtnAh51UchRaLouA/s1154/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20162411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="There I am, escaping over the river, while others are still struggling" border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="1154" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWi2UsJCAhFiQolJqCse5x85E5lIzQFu2JUBMjt-czbtC13zDYJPJ6-mYpWZm9IeLBlVLUqdrxCzTI56A4KdMz7qO2gx835Kn_1aFuJ25qFoq4heqSK2CpiEKeO4ZhFnvUr1GYsW9XNz_Wpgdpw5ZrHztfsfa_xjO6D6ieKrUv0QtnAh51UchRaLouA/w640-h268/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20162411.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There I am, escaping over the river, while everybody else struggled to gain height</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Once I climbed on that thermal over the river, we had plenty of altitude to make it back to Shade Mountain. I asked my copilot to fly straight and level while I tried to take off my jacket. I could not take off my jacket. In order to keep from overheating, I took a mouthful of water and spat it onto my chest. The jacket struggle is real! </div><div><br /></div><div>I flew down Shade Mountain until the direction of the wind didn't look very favorable with the direction of the ridges. Right around Lewistown, PA, Shade Mountain takes a turn to the left, no longer perpendicular with the northerly winds. My flight computer was showing winds of 035 at 8 knots. In retrospect, the other flight computers of the competitors showed more like a 360 at 18 knots. Maybe I need to tune the HAWK variometer's wind parameters. At any rate, my early turn-around cost me between 10 and 12 miles, depending on where each competitor turned around. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpGDLnOmjx5UvDyTqX2yAPKEZ4GLsaPNZSOKOpq4SGv2QgU8D4jVITOvhXvBeV8vfLVMODZy3mNc-IPtTaMeC0yNxRfcd0azjOCbmiRR_9-y4JmDtck2AMNqeytX4ax8WmrLFmy1SUpRGm4Pui1c53ql208SXs5RQ3_5ZwGkQPPkiDCIaJHKYwg8iJQ/s910/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20163408.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="910" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpGDLnOmjx5UvDyTqX2yAPKEZ4GLsaPNZSOKOpq4SGv2QgU8D4jVITOvhXvBeV8vfLVMODZy3mNc-IPtTaMeC0yNxRfcd0azjOCbmiRR_9-y4JmDtck2AMNqeytX4ax8WmrLFmy1SUpRGm4Pui1c53ql208SXs5RQ3_5ZwGkQPPkiDCIaJHKYwg8iJQ/w640-h532/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20163408.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QQ (in red) turned around just after getting into the circle. Everybody else went further. <br />QQ can be seen at the top right of this map</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The third turn area was Shade Mountain, 10 mile radius. You might see a pattern here. Of course, I turn early. The pack following behind me turned much later. I cheated myself out of another 10 miles. The distance isn't that important, but the fact that I'm covering these distances at 80-100 knots means the opportunity to raise my average velocity is lost when I turn early. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final turn area was along Jacks Mountain. As you can guess, I turned earlier than everybody else. I turned almost 7 miles earlier than everybody else did. This cheated me out of 14 miles of flying at ridge speeds, and most certainly reduced my speed for the day. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Winner's Analysis: </h3><p>Let's compare and contrast what Noah Reiter did (HH) and what I did: </p><p>Noah was last to launch. His copilot was one of the tow pilots for the day. I think this worked to his advantage. I started at 13:31, and he didn't start until 13:49. Noah was still in his first thermal climb while I was starting the task. Why did I start so early? I don't know. I'll have to figure out why I have a tendency to start as soon as possible. It could be because I don't really understand the strategy of the start games that the experienced pilots play. </p><p>When Noah was starting the task, I was circling with Karl to make the jump across the Susquehanna river. </p><p>Noah crossed the start line in the center of the start line. I started on the southern end of it. I don't think that made much of a difference. Noah started lower across the start line than I did. Noah got to Shade Mountain at about the same height and position that I did. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bk9aJNUmCxPjnSe1MP2nyi2fXrUtvCwXzVoB9EMImYeWBHinDgAfYB1wldMIot5CAujk8Nh9T5DQCqEt6-aa9CXBC7E1pGNb0i9NGM6IKU4oeXHvu5BMRDrecx-0ms1Faosv-ysEAXawj9Zebwj-GDhXNMmF0tVkXtUP6VuUOt-KULCm-oK5rtZmgg/s1054/Day1-shot-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1054" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bk9aJNUmCxPjnSe1MP2nyi2fXrUtvCwXzVoB9EMImYeWBHinDgAfYB1wldMIot5CAujk8Nh9T5DQCqEt6-aa9CXBC7E1pGNb0i9NGM6IKU4oeXHvu5BMRDrecx-0ms1Faosv-ysEAXawj9Zebwj-GDhXNMmF0tVkXtUP6VuUOt-KULCm-oK5rtZmgg/w640-h398/Day1-shot-1.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>So far: Noah's track isn't that much better than mine. </p><p>Before jumping across the Susquehanna river, I climbed to 3600 feet MSL. That thermal climb took about 7 minutes. Noah did a climb on Shade mountain about 2 miles to the west of where I did, and spent 5 minutes in thermal. He left that thermal at about the same height I did. We both got across the river in the same amount of time, and showed up at about the same place. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">First Turn Area Observation</h3><p>Noah made the right decision to go as far as he could into the first turn area. It's unclear why I turned early. When I turned it was 67 miles into the task. When Noah turned, it was 72.7 miles. It took him 6 minutes and 23 seconds to go that extra distance. During that difference in our ground tracks, he had an average of 107.15 mph. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjDq5DBpLUIqgYAiGufag90hfs0vbrTU3SlMqPA0gOcmdpDNbyRAEJLKs_FE_GN8lRsMtqn8PIv2cKZyGfCtXJ_WF--t3JBQh5UZzSEEdaHCKKQ65WfKqX2liMhELA9w5puVyVlp6P6oEAMaXnpmgQgwjgsrdTwQCYye0sWyXAKZL8Jj5o502YFGDRA/s831/Screenshot%202023-06-04%20153330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="831" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjDq5DBpLUIqgYAiGufag90hfs0vbrTU3SlMqPA0gOcmdpDNbyRAEJLKs_FE_GN8lRsMtqn8PIv2cKZyGfCtXJ_WF--t3JBQh5UZzSEEdaHCKKQ65WfKqX2liMhELA9w5puVyVlp6P6oEAMaXnpmgQgwjgsrdTwQCYye0sWyXAKZL8Jj5o502YFGDRA/w640-h224/Screenshot%202023-06-04%20153330.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah "HH" (cyan) turned later than I did (red), and made great speed while doing so</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Second Crossing of the Susquehanna</h3><p>It took me 17 minutes to find a suitable enough thermal to get across the river. I made 3 thermal attempts. Noah did the crossing in 14 minutes, and also made 3 thermal attempts. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Second Turn Area</h3><p>As mentioned before, I turned before everybody on that ridge. This was no exception with Noah's flying. He turned 4.6 miles later than I did. The extra time on his trip was almost 6 minutes. The average velocity while he did that extra 9.2 miles was 92.7 mph. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3w357gLkp2qYXPlZtaPxziz0KXa4F-o1dqMNGDSb2N3UmfW9GcdNkijRzxV2U70wytkEdLG4qPXo4Kf_x17joRWdgCIR1Qnkwu6CZu7F33PEZL6P_TKQzTfzGmWcHa62HFwR8PpWPnc6cSbPukr2SZNrDdTK6CRvVE8bgiqNzrO_sbHKLVDYnmSbnQ/s472/Screenshot%202023-06-04%20154837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="462" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3w357gLkp2qYXPlZtaPxziz0KXa4F-o1dqMNGDSb2N3UmfW9GcdNkijRzxV2U70wytkEdLG4qPXo4Kf_x17joRWdgCIR1Qnkwu6CZu7F33PEZL6P_TKQzTfzGmWcHa62HFwR8PpWPnc6cSbPukr2SZNrDdTK6CRvVE8bgiqNzrO_sbHKLVDYnmSbnQ/s320/Screenshot%202023-06-04%20154837.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah "HH" turned later into the turn area than I did. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Third Turn Area</h3><p>This is beginning to be a theme. I turn just a few minutes after getting into the third turn area. This is along the same section of Shade Mountain that I had been on earlier in the day. I don't know why I turned when I did, or why I decided to turn at that point. I made my turn at 15:30:23, and my distance task so far was 162.7 miles in total. When Noah did his turn, it was another 13.1 miles of distance, covered in 9 minutes and 52 seconds. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Shade-Jacks Transition</h3><p>Noah and I both circled in thermals at about the same point on Shade Mountain. He did a much better job of circling, left earlier, arrived at the top of Jacks Mountain. He started his upwind journey to Jacks Mountain at 3070 feet, where I started at 3260'. He arrived at Jacks mountain at 2034', where I arrived at 2385'. It took Noah only 7 minutes to do the transition. It took me 9 minutes. The numbers aren't that terribly different, but he certainly did a better transition here than I did. </p><p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zaaTzYL5NRG2bZWgpX44-t59x8-bjigEZiiIfD26RbVIn8RNlIT5-Zr9XLtuNY1X1sFpibvE0FpBnD2FmYfTMvbe19OVSKzHAJjcq3dflPS2volLiITFFBmpZv9zMsIPp7GVTpg2e6f1PgPCcbDivsl80kxzOTzQueW00EnYLW7rnjFICTxJQSUnwQ/s714/Screenshot%202023-06-04%20160530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="714" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zaaTzYL5NRG2bZWgpX44-t59x8-bjigEZiiIfD26RbVIn8RNlIT5-Zr9XLtuNY1X1sFpibvE0FpBnD2FmYfTMvbe19OVSKzHAJjcq3dflPS2volLiITFFBmpZv9zMsIPp7GVTpg2e6f1PgPCcbDivsl80kxzOTzQueW00EnYLW7rnjFICTxJQSUnwQ/w640-h476/Screenshot%202023-06-04%20160530.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah did a slightly better transition from Shade <br />Mountain to Jacks Mountain than I did</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Mill Creek Turn Area (Fourth Turn Area)</h3><p>In the final turn area, Noah covered another 8.3 miles, and it took him almost 6 extra minutes of time to do this. In the meantime, I came in for a landing well under the minimum time. On my return leg, there wasn't much point in pushing the return trip. I was going to suffer a time penalty and it was going to hurt my score either way. Noah had managed to fly the course without a minimum time penalty, and he was the only one in our class to do so. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Piet's Lessons Learned from Day 2</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>When doing a ridge task, do everything you can to go as far into each turn area as you can safely accomplish. Those extra miles make all the difference, and you'll be less likely to come in under the minimum time. </li><li>If there are four turn areas, and you turn earlier than everybody else in those four turn areas, don't be surprised when you come in dead last. </li><li>At least I didn't land out. My low altitude scratching skills aren't that bad. It took me about the same amount of time to transition across the Susquehanna river as everybody else. </li><li>I should have a better understanding of how much altitude I need to get across the Shade-Jacks transition, without having to spend extra time tanking up on altitude. </li><li>Leaving first out of the starting gate on a ridge day is stupid. Especially for somebody of my skill level. Let one of the more seasoned veterans go first. On the ridge, they're not going to pull that much further away from me. </li><li>Figure out why the HAWK variometer is showing wildly different wind directions while doing ridge flying. There were times in the flight when the flight computer showed 180 degrees out of phase with what the winds were really showing. (I have disabled the compass on my flight computer, and will do another software update before flying on the ridge again)</li><li>I judged the correct mountains for this task. Other guys went to the Tuscarora. They didn't place that well. I took the right course, just didn't go far enough into each turn area. </li><li>I could probably fly a few miles per hour faster along the ridge than Noah did. I had water in the wings, and Noah didn't. I think I can get lower on the ridge and make better speed. </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-10688095050489557812023-06-03T15:51:00.000-04:002023-06-03T15:51:17.019-04:00Why Does Piet Fly So Slow? Mifflin Day 1<p>I never really had time to analyze every flight at the contest. Now that I'm sitting at the comfort of my home, I can download all of the log files and pull them up in flight analysis software. </p><p>I know I have a lot of work to do to get to be a better competition pilot. I suspect seeing what the fast guys are doing might be one avenue for my improvement. </p><p>The first day was a setback for my position on the score sheet. At the end of the flying day, I placed 11th, and had no idea how people went so much faster than me. After watching the "worm races" in SeeYou, it's incredibly obvious why I was so slow. There were many reasons. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Recap: </h3><p>Day 1 had kind of an overcast over the area. The clouds were really hard to read. The winds were about 265 at 14. There were good thermals, and I climbed to 6400 feet before the start. I descended to just under 6000 feet to cross the start gate. </p><p>It was at that point that I had lost. So soon into the adventure and I had already lost the day. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa8hVj5TR6inTxtqqcS2AOOxjbAaNh_ogWkJr3FJmQ9JHoXp1C42M-F-nXkD6GQHSC8d6kRCKNhffeIUAuDT2s9VVR8ha8fv74vfX0XGKWcL3Dg9s5WjiIuQpj5B7NCuX-c97iqzzwt0m4sopRHUeMtSHFQ25VyE__6oDQq_GmMsWxaL9yr4mZODioQ/s793/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20124928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="793" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa8hVj5TR6inTxtqqcS2AOOxjbAaNh_ogWkJr3FJmQ9JHoXp1C42M-F-nXkD6GQHSC8d6kRCKNhffeIUAuDT2s9VVR8ha8fv74vfX0XGKWcL3Dg9s5WjiIuQpj5B7NCuX-c97iqzzwt0m4sopRHUeMtSHFQ25VyE__6oDQq_GmMsWxaL9yr4mZODioQ/w640-h514/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20124928.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I'm the glider in orange with the ∑ shaped ground track on the right of the screenshot above. The winner for the day, "Hotel" is the cyan colored track heading almost due south. While I decided to tank up on more lift after crossing the starting line, he's headed for ridge lift. There are two other gliders cruising toward Shade Mountain at speed. I've already lost! </p><p>Before I had even made it into the first turn area (orange line at the 1 o'clock position on the circle), these three guys had made it deep into the turn area, and were on their way back. They haven't made a single turn.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EwwagfmkARogBhOSzcNjm0vNpBxBFgu8k4cCj3xoDT25K2JHmfMHFoWScc6UFdxdk5tO05l0yGKWcS-L_RRAZNi_C7d2KcS6-DlwuqK9l08ufIJ2sXsn_lT44izLkx30PxzKAvVQ1vfyvG2da9O8BbNwDCvC8UMJmg-B9a4Ehqfgfm4gUhe4Uz6cyg/s689/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20125736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="635" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EwwagfmkARogBhOSzcNjm0vNpBxBFgu8k4cCj3xoDT25K2JHmfMHFoWScc6UFdxdk5tO05l0yGKWcS-L_RRAZNi_C7d2KcS6-DlwuqK9l08ufIJ2sXsn_lT44izLkx30PxzKAvVQ1vfyvG2da9O8BbNwDCvC8UMJmg-B9a4Ehqfgfm4gUhe4Uz6cyg/w590-h640/Screenshot%202023-06-03%20125736.jpg" width="590" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">How did I miss this?</h3><p> I should have gotten a better understanding of which ridges work with which winds. When there is a westerly wind, flying to the south is more advantageous. When there's a northerly wind, the ridges to the north and east are most lined up with the winds. Just because the ridges aren't really lined up for ridge lift at the start area doesn't mean that the winds won't work with the ridges elsewhere. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Take-Aways:</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Look at the task on the map. Note the winds, see if there are any ridge "highways" we can use along the way. </li><li>Forget about getting into the wave. The task is designed with the assumption there is never any wave. The wave lift around here isn't good for long stretches like it is near Front Royal. </li><li>If you're all alone, there's probably a good reason. Everybody is somewhere else, going faster than you. </li><li>Plan a course deep into the first turn area, if possible. </li><li>I should have an idea how fast I should be going, and refer to the average speed so far. If I'm below it, stop whifferdilling with every small scrap of lift. </li></ul><h3 style="text-align: left;">It Could Have Been Worse:</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>It looks like 98 and EL their motors to get home. They still outscored me, and they used their motors at the very end of their day. </li><li>At least I didn't land out. </li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-75602819469147438742023-05-29T21:06:00.000-04:002023-05-29T21:06:13.944-04:002023 20 meter Multi-Seat Contest (Mifflin)<p>This May, I participated in the 20 meter multi-seat national soaring competition held in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. I drove the mighty QQ to Mifflin on the evening of Mothers' Day. I drove to Pennsylvania with Uwe Jettmar. Erik van Weezendonk arrived on the following day. The contest was scheduled to take ten days in total. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Practice day: </h3><p>Monday was a practice day. that meant that all of the participants had the option to fly their glider at the airport where the contest was about to take place. The contest director determines task, and all participants arrive at the runway on a first-come-first-served policy. The conditions were weak, but I decided to attempt the task anyway. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7868StWZw1u-whpCg5r_FMfkXZAs-T_uTUq_06Pc4NcCu8W8a4W9c7vghacv0gssnFoZwziXgozh_EyaV_fMi8PXOEp_quJ2_cJ3Hb5USzLVzDsANkdlvOK3jmrcfUdcLhovzMTvcOXSESo5sEj_Y3pFEQ03Q74t_phXTasZYa5W4sm63zZM_ETPmA/s394/Practice-Day.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="394" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7868StWZw1u-whpCg5r_FMfkXZAs-T_uTUq_06Pc4NcCu8W8a4W9c7vghacv0gssnFoZwziXgozh_EyaV_fMi8PXOEp_quJ2_cJ3Hb5USzLVzDsANkdlvOK3jmrcfUdcLhovzMTvcOXSESo5sEj_Y3pFEQ03Q74t_phXTasZYa5W4sm63zZM_ETPmA/s320/Practice-Day.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practice Day Task Layout</td></tr></tbody></table>Erik was not due to arrive at Mifflin until about 1 pm. Uwe and I assembled QQ with the help of another contestant. We left the trailer hooked up to the pickup truck, as we set out on the task. The task was a large area to the northwest (Nisbet), and another large circle to the west of Mifflin (Kettle Dam). The soaring conditions were weak. We managed to get to the first turnpoint. After that, there wasn't much lift. We limped along the Nittany ridge, hoping for some better opportunities to get higher. As we approached State College, I elected to do an off-airport landing at the largest field I could see. The land-out was uneventful. We landed in a cornfield that appeared to be fallow. Erik arrived a short time later, and the retrieve was uneventful. Because of the loose soil we landed in, we elected to leave the trailer on a gravel access road, and tow the glider out of the corn field with a long rope attached to my pickup truck. <div>I tend to land out at every contest. I suppose it's good to get this out of the way early in the contest. Much like the importance of pre-season games in the NFL, my standings aren't harmed by landing out on the practice day. <br /><p></p><p>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hwfhCanNRD--Bz_5laGkF?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou.cloud</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/258419" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRHo_SHznwdjVfETEmU54EKYYjs2uuOWvrOPKfy0F60-REiD6MFQlikBdVajE-vXGFWpQu0Xf8m-kPMv7Q5W6hLrgoDamB1erQS3utcbRXc-h_7_q8w6mmHKnxQDNqTaChBQK9kS0PUUcqTH_Z0Q8ua4e5ZI5k4sexVsJvR9MhTbZXvF1Mr9RpojcVA/s4080/PXL_20230515_204447917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRHo_SHznwdjVfETEmU54EKYYjs2uuOWvrOPKfy0F60-REiD6MFQlikBdVajE-vXGFWpQu0Xf8m-kPMv7Q5W6hLrgoDamB1erQS3utcbRXc-h_7_q8w6mmHKnxQDNqTaChBQK9kS0PUUcqTH_Z0Q8ua4e5ZI5k4sexVsJvR9MhTbZXvF1Mr9RpojcVA/w400-h301/PXL_20230515_204447917.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QQ getting towed out by rope</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 1: </h3><p>Today was Erik's turn to fly. The task was originally set to be a 3 turnpoint assigned area task, but once the fleet was airborne, the task advisors suggested we move to the stand-by task. This task had a 15 mile turn area to the south, Orbisonia, and a 15 mile turn area to the northeast, Shade Mountain. </p><p>The beginning of the task had strong lift in thermals. There were no reliable marker clouds to work with, and there was a pall of overcast over most of the area. Once we got started, I climbed to what felt like wave lift above 6500 feet. Unfortunately, the start line had a maximum altitude of 6000 feet. I flew at high speed to the start line, got just under the maximum altitude for the start line, and couldn't get back into the wave lift. For the rest of the day, I spent it hoping to get high enough into the wave. </p><p>We tiptoed too much. I ranked 13th out of 15 contestants for the day. The winds were lined up to work the ridge to the southern end of the task area. I never made use of ridge lift. That definitely could have helped my speed on task. We never got low, and I never got desperate, but the pain of how poorly we showed up on the scoresheet reminds me that everybody at this contest knows how to fly faster than me. </p><p>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hwsIrxwOZ1--MMozSUawF?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou.cloud</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/258613" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29206&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/16/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 2: Ridge Mission #1<span> </span></h3><p>This is the day we were all waiting for, and the reason we drive to Mifflin. Central Pennsylvania has an intricate network of mountains that are perfect for glider racing. Depending on the wind direction, you can zoom along at treetop height, connect with other mountains to cover hundreds of miles. </p><p>Day 2 was one such day. The winds were predicted to be coming from the north for the whole day. The winds were not so strong that thermals would be disrupted. The weather-guessers predicted all kinds of adventures with good ridge, good thermal lift for the whole area. The task advisors came up with a suitable task that included a trip across the Susquehanna River into Northumberland, PA. </p><p>I started across the start line near Lewistown, PA. I set out to the first turnpoint from the maximum altitude, cruising at 110 knots until I got down to ridgetop height along Shade Mountain. Karl Striedieck and Sarah Arnold passed me on the way to the mountain. I kept them in sight as we both zoomed along Shade Mountain. The northern part of Shade mountain is more rounded than the area where we started. We had to slow down to maintain position on the ridge. We found a great thermal, and got enough altitude to make it across the Susquehanna river and to the next set of mountains near Northumberland, PA. </p><p>Karl was gone, but a speck of dust in the distance. I could barely see that he had enough to get to the top of the mountain across the river. Uwe quietly watched me cruise across the river and intercept the next mountain ridge with just the right amount of altitude. I went into the turnpoint as far as I wanted to venture, and turned back to jump across the Susquehanna River again. I passed a dozen gliders travelling on the ridge. Since both gliders were going more than 100 miles per hour, the closing speed was about 200 miles per hour. Jim Frantz of New Castle, VA was flying his Ventus 3. It was equipped with a strobe light on the nose which made him quite conspicuous! I need one of those! </p><p>When I got to the Susquehanna river, there wasn't a good enough thermal to make it out of there. I hung out with one of the Standard class guys for a while, as I saw other 20 meter gliders show up and try to dig out. </p><p>Eventually, I found a nice enough thermal to get away from the ridge. I headed directly to Penn Valley airport just-in-case. Strangely, I found a thermal right over the river. It was enough to get us the altitude we needed to get back to Shade Mountain. </p><p>I followed Shade Mountain until just after Lewistown, PA. At that point, the ridge turned unfavorably, so that the winds would no longer support ridge soaring along that part of the mountain. I headed back upwind to get back to Shade Mountain (the third turnpoint). Heading south again, my next challenge was to find a thermal to make it upwind to Jacks Mountain, near Mifflin. It took me longer than I wanted, but I made it with plenty of altitude to spare. Once on Jacks Mountain, I took the ridge as far as I could muster. Jacks Mountain will work with a northerly wind, but not much past a point called "Mill Creek" It was there that I turned around and headed back home. </p><p>I was proud of my accomplishment until I saw the score sheet. I placed 11th. Man, I suck at this racing thing. Maybe I will enjoy this contest more if I just stop looking at the score sheet. </p><p>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hx3tKt1PD9-0BLM69sg6F?u=i">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/259186" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29207&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/17/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 3: Slow Start, Backside Jacks</h3></div><div><div><div>The task originally called for a racing task. The thermal conditions weren't as good as predicted, so the task advisors suggested we go with an Assigned Area Task instead. Erik was co-pilot. </div><div>I spent 1.5 hours in the start area, waiting for the conditions to be strong enough to get on-course. </div><div>We headed toward Shade Mountain, transitioned to the Tuscarora, came back, flew the backside of Jacks Mountain until the ridge turned to the south to a heading where the winds would no longer hold us up. I returned, never having any real problems, and never getting really low. Somehow we managed to place 5th for the day.</div><div>I got some great in-flight footage with Papa Lima while flying on the backside of Jacks Mountain.</div><div> </div><div>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hxGStIcQre--voWlyQMoV?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/260956" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29209&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/19/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a></div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 4: Backside Jacks Mountain</h3><div>The winds were pretty much right out of the south. This was a rare day when we both have enough convection for thermals, and we have a southerly wind strong enough to fly in Jacks Mountain. </div><div>After starting, I follow the pack northward toward the northern end of Jacks Mountain. The task requires us to get upwind to Shade Mountain, but the conditions didn't look like I could make it. Once we got to the end of the mountain, we went north a bit more, but the thermals weren't quite there yet. I headed back south, and flew in formation with Hotel-Hotel out of Haris Hill. I had Erik take some GoPro footage of HH in flight. That video turned out great! </div><div><br /></div><div>Somehow we managed to take 5th place for the day. I've moved up to 8th place overall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hxT1O93PcD--go3R8wDfk?u=i">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/262179" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29209&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/19/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 5: Long Ridge Flight</h3><div><div><div>On Day 6 the winds were much more favorable for most of the ridges in the area. The task called for a much longer trip, covering far more miles. We started the day early with an earlier-than-usual launch time, but it didn't make much difference. I spent an hour in the start area, trying to get enough altitude to get into the start line. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzC2z_uyiz_p6XfIisYj8Ogd4hXGVObNAM29uBWUWWnYArv4rdVufbK01RFVhl3s-CoLCa1zIB7LI4oUhbVaJFpVo5PRIf3W8lDaQeir_XTc9OuSiBZJKuqN5HuGWL2AjmAYPm_Iy6e__HhgEfhuGfAGJzhrEIxJCWSxURMapg-aI_JoMmV24nx_1Ig/s603/Day-5-task-overview.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Day 5 had us cover the most miles" border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="399" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzC2z_uyiz_p6XfIisYj8Ogd4hXGVObNAM29uBWUWWnYArv4rdVufbK01RFVhl3s-CoLCa1zIB7LI4oUhbVaJFpVo5PRIf3W8lDaQeir_XTc9OuSiBZJKuqN5HuGWL2AjmAYPm_Iy6e__HhgEfhuGfAGJzhrEIxJCWSxURMapg-aI_JoMmV24nx_1Ig/w265-h400/Day-5-task-overview.png" title="Day 5 had us cover the most miles" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 5 covered the most ground<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>I finally got past the start line and headed due-south to Shade Mountain. I cruised somewhere between 100 and 105 knots at tree-top levels. The glider was fully loaded with water for maximum speed. We got to the southern end of Shade Mountain, where several gliders circled around, trying to get enough altitude to get to the Tuscarora mountain. Some of the heavier gliders turned back, noting that they don't soar very well with the weaker ridge conditions. I headed south for some more easy speed points. </div><div>I followed Papa-Golf and Hotel-Seven along the ridges until the very end of this mountain chain, at a place called "Dickie's Hill." This part of the mountain chain is very close to the Pennsylvania - Maryland border. </div><div>Heading back north, I got stuck on the transition from Tuscarora to Shade Mountain. I had been slowing down so I could get high enough to make the jump without circling. This was a dumb strategy, as I ended up at the same altitude anyway, but doing it much slower. </div><div>Karl Striedieck passed me at this point; maybe 500 feet below me. Apparently, he knows the exact altitude it takes to do the Tuscarora-Shade jump. I followed him, along with Papa-Golf and Hotel-Seven. </div><div>Karl passed Papa-Golf, but I couldn't quite bring myself to fly close enough to Papa Golf to get past him. By the time we got to Lewistown, PA, we had to make a reasonably-sized jump upwind across the Juniata river. </div><div>At this point, we had to make a long upwind trek to White Pine. I found what I thought was a good cloud street, and stopped to climb in a thermal. Papa-Golf kept going along Shade Mountain. Hotel-Seven circled with me up to about 6000 feet. I thought Hotel-Seven and I were going to hang-out, but he went further down the mountain to hang out with Papa-Golf. I started to find thermals, and tried to street upwind. We were never low, and never in jeopardy of landing out, but it took forever to fight the headwind. I touched the turnpoint and headed downwind. </div><div>The flight computer is telling me I'm slow. I know I'm slow. We are on track to finish the task on time. I'm annoyed about how long it took to go upwind toward Nisbet, so I'm looking for some fast-tracks to absorb out some of that slow flying I did. I see a magnificent cloud street toward Mid-State airport. The flight computer tells me that I will be well over-time when I arrive at the finish line. Oh well. </div><div>I fly alongside Karl Striedieck along Jacks Mountain. In fact, I even passed him at one point. Right after I passed him, I found one of the weaker parts of the ridge, so I slowed down, and went upwind to "the step" along Jacks Mountain.</div><div>I was too low to see that Erik had applied a bag of lime to a road that crossed over the peak of Jacks Mountain. He painted "QQ" in big bold letters. Unfortunately, I never saw it, as I was too low, and didn't have the right angle to see it. The rest of the pilots saw it, though!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfR2UGc0qewAzD0NFPpW06YSzHT9q1JyN792WoZEbEqmlTPsl_Fz4619YkKmFUlLYWclyEHomF6bGN58MiyLIjxsDCYgufi6A_QVNbsqmmDlo7zioVVr8L5rSsT3wa18LLPR7A5udXkF0Avv-xiKAnq2yNOHJpSpENkK6xR-mBHx14PbpL5EhNrgi8-g/s649/QQ-in-Lime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="649" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfR2UGc0qewAzD0NFPpW06YSzHT9q1JyN792WoZEbEqmlTPsl_Fz4619YkKmFUlLYWclyEHomF6bGN58MiyLIjxsDCYgufi6A_QVNbsqmmDlo7zioVVr8L5rSsT3wa18LLPR7A5udXkF0Avv-xiKAnq2yNOHJpSpENkK6xR-mBHx14PbpL5EhNrgi8-g/s320/QQ-in-Lime.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I ranked 15th for the day. Holy crap I really suck at this. I think about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP02Krpw2G8">that scene in Caddyshack</a> with Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield, "You're uh... 'not good'." I have no idea how everybody else was 7 miles per hour faster than me. I'll have more fun if I stop looking at the scoring sheet. I'll have to do an analysis of the flight logs of everybody else to see why I suck so bad. </div><p>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hxrny4-PMX-AChP9brqb-?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/263655" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29305&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/21/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a>. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 6: Racing Task</h3><div>This was a day that featured no ridge soaring. The thermals were strong, and there were streets everywhere. Day 6's task didn't have large turn areas. Instead, we had to get within 0.3 miles of each turnpoint. This meant that we all had a good understanding of how well we are doing, relative to everybody else. Days 1 through 5 were Assigned Area tasks. For those tasks, the competitors go figure out the course they think will get them the most points. Nobody knows how well they did for the day until the score sheet is posted. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJNj-T1V9DsXWWswd9Glk9uKsK5nJpmHzFHo1vprhf22uvpoU-V5KEXEgDpqPs9NsHTH2DGAtZS4joqzOqwUoDixS0AWvAzu2jbqR7J1JdEKNdofwvJeofSGTv_w5-7KY88kpul_db1hwnStKf9pK9R4J27YNngbnI7SttGx_na10f41sz2SoDOyqOA/s499/racing-task-day-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="406" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJNj-T1V9DsXWWswd9Glk9uKsK5nJpmHzFHo1vprhf22uvpoU-V5KEXEgDpqPs9NsHTH2DGAtZS4joqzOqwUoDixS0AWvAzu2jbqR7J1JdEKNdofwvJeofSGTv_w5-7KY88kpul_db1hwnStKf9pK9R4J27YNngbnI7SttGx_na10f41sz2SoDOyqOA/s320/racing-task-day-4.png" width="260" /></a></div></div><div>Day 6's task looked like a capital W. I followed the clouds as best as I could. I thermalled when it was good, I never got low, I passed up on marginal thermals. I flew over the Raystown Dam. I saw a glider in the distance, circling, and I headed toward that spot he was thermalling. I kept up with all of the gliders that had caught up with me at the first turnpoint. </div><div>Starting early really hurt me, and we ranked 11th for the day. Somehow, we've moved up in the rankings, and we in 8th place overall. It's not that we're doing well, it's just that some of the other pilots who did well on other days landed out or withdrew. </div><div><br /></div><div>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hxT1O93PcD--go3R8wDfk?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/262179" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29305&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/21/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a>. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 7: Another Racing Task!</h3><div>I really like the racing tasks. I don't have to think too much. I just show up, fly to the waypoints, try to find a way to the next waypoint. If I could choose, we would have nothing but racing tasks. </div><div><div> I was the first to start the task, and I headed directly Across Seven Mountains on the way to White Pine airport. To me, the day felt like it was going to abruptly end. Spending time with start-line games felt foolish. Especially since I'm so slow, as evidenced by the scoresheet. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntEPiUnpx5R0Q4DPxeRyY0Q9UFOLpGaZ3riaklRBhQOttcjau40hSS_WYQRfXdqqiDE1iYfguYeqdzmCqJNwoRfh42BxZ0K2Mc7i9riRI0qwIGNgoo-tHJnJE_de-AaMWdc-5LJDX4t2KijnD5jJ_nI4U4wqoVNRNxUQQfY07Gd8la4_4aRZWiaDoqQ/s420/Day-7%20task%20overview.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntEPiUnpx5R0Q4DPxeRyY0Q9UFOLpGaZ3riaklRBhQOttcjau40hSS_WYQRfXdqqiDE1iYfguYeqdzmCqJNwoRfh42BxZ0K2Mc7i9riRI0qwIGNgoo-tHJnJE_de-AaMWdc-5LJDX4t2KijnD5jJ_nI4U4wqoVNRNxUQQfY07Gd8la4_4aRZWiaDoqQ/s320/Day-7%20task%20overview.png" width="300" /></a></div>In retrospect, it might have been dumb to start as early as I did. Everybody who started later got to analyze exactly where I was circling. They could see me really clearly because my glider has a transponder and ADS-B. I spent more time at the slow part of the task. </div><div>By the time I just passed the first turnpoint, everybody in the 20 meter class caught up with me, or passed me. Well, we all established by the scoresheet that I kinda suck at this racing thing. It sure was a nice day to fly, though.</div></div><div>The next turnpoint was MidState airport, which is also on the Appalachian plateau. There are almost no landable fields directly between these two turnpoints. I spent time with Hotel-Hotel for a brief while. At some point, he went right, and I went left. </div><div>Hotel and Hotel-Seven met up with me and we traded spaces for a while. They would find a good thermal to work, while I pressed on. When I found a thermal I liked, they would join me. </div><div>We got slow and worked on weaker thermals as we approached the southwestern-most point. Unfortunately, I didn't keep with the pack, I went right, when the pack went left. I really suffered for this. Everybody left me behind. We limped north to Penns Cave. The sky looked really bleak. I made the turnpoint. We haven't seen a good thermal in a long time. There is a huge deck of overcast </div><div>and made it home without ever really being desperate for altitude. I don't know how I managed to take 6th place. </div><div><br /></div><div>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/xGOK4oK8Ryw6pqBv" target="_blank">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/264359" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29349&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/23/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a>. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 8: A Two-Thermal Day</h3><div>I can't believe we've had this much great weather. To have a contest with 8 flyable days is utterly inconceivable to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>We were on grid position 24. There was only one glider launching after us. By the time we were off tow, all the other gliders had climbed several thousand feet, nearly to cloudbase.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBByISa4w6BUZu7DoeuzS_JZx0SAxo5IHeMwf8-8wzEipfzzWN1bMdBz7UmrYTMb1xzqbQI-Yi9c3we15PUOO9Wz75kof0JvA28ZLdgGlwMD4vkt-8o0vBVJKXghJ0viJB5s1ClykhJJ-QnLeaB44x6kjW4GAmxxc_PFx4V0uvPoDLyWRR4NkcR1Zhkg/s736/Day-8-task-overview.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="736" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBByISa4w6BUZu7DoeuzS_JZx0SAxo5IHeMwf8-8wzEipfzzWN1bMdBz7UmrYTMb1xzqbQI-Yi9c3we15PUOO9Wz75kof0JvA28ZLdgGlwMD4vkt-8o0vBVJKXghJ0viJB5s1ClykhJJ-QnLeaB44x6kjW4GAmxxc_PFx4V0uvPoDLyWRR4NkcR1Zhkg/w400-h234/Day-8-task-overview.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> After getting off tow, I couldn't find any lift. We scrounged around for a morsel of lift, but found nothing. I landed at Mifflin, came to a stop. Within 30 seconds we were back in the air behind the same tow plane as before. "Don't tow me to where you dropped me off last time." He dropped us off where we released last time. </div><div>There was no improvement in the soaring at that location. In the time it took for us to land, take off again, release from aero tow, the fleet had started the task. </div><div>I was left scrounging around looking for some lift in the start area. I found a thermal right over the airport. I climbed to 6400 feet MSL, and headed through the start line, on course. </div><div>I'm pretty sure Hotel-Hotel and I were the last ones on course. I looked at the flight computer to see if there was any of the fleet in front of us. They were all specks in the distance. We're so far behind, we're so screwed. </div><div>I turned left near University Airpark airport at State College, and follow the Tussey Ridge. Tussey has thermals popping off of it. The flight computer insists that the winds favor the ridge. Eventually, we get down to ridgetop level and find that Tussey is indeed working. Not working really well, but we are maintaining 80 knots along the mountains, well south of Spruce Creek. </div><div>Papa-Lima is on the ridge with us. We notice some of the pack of gliders flying overhead. Everybody is high except for Papa-Lima and us. </div><div>At the southern end of the turnpoint, we expect Papa-Lima, who is slightly ahead of us on the ridge, to turn around. They did not. Instead, they turned left. They went downwind off the ridge to some questionable terrain downwind. Questionable unlandable terrain with a lake and a smaller ridge. "Nope. Not following them!" </div><div>We turned back north, slowed down to get some altitude, and waited for a strong thermal to connect, so we could climb high and move on to the next turnpoint. </div><div>We found a great 8 knot thermal and climbed to over 6500 feet. We set out downwind. There were several mountains in sight ahead of us that would have worked great. I elected to use Shade Mountain. We could go up Shade Mountain and use ridge lift along the way. Hey, ridge lift has been working so far, right? </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwCq4N-Gorw4DkQ1vxDp5KKCeCnCcJPSiWmTp9xAQwFNJnB_YghCkgfiVulfIGFJizn7oOzwialaaCXwQmdXqEyS1oGFDag9a17un_zE4dDwF1vY1Z5AHPMf99UHPQsJcUm8zNUrWBuaq5tXJMt1nt8nlxL6SBsPB3P0L97wWXi1OTQby2RSm0FHZebg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="508" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwCq4N-Gorw4DkQ1vxDp5KKCeCnCcJPSiWmTp9xAQwFNJnB_YghCkgfiVulfIGFJizn7oOzwialaaCXwQmdXqEyS1oGFDag9a17un_zE4dDwF1vY1Z5AHPMf99UHPQsJcUm8zNUrWBuaq5tXJMt1nt8nlxL6SBsPB3P0L97wWXi1OTQby2RSm0FHZebg=w400-h393" width="400" /></a></div><br />The image above is a view of SkySight's predicted winds at 2000' MSL (approximately the top of the mountain). The lines indicate a wind from the west. Each barb is either 5 knots or 10 knots of wind. Our flight track along Shade Mountain is shown with the black line. Our path was from the bottom left of that diagram to the top right of the diagram. I've marked my opinion about how well the ridge was working for us along the way. "Working", "Kinda working", and then finally, "Definitely Not Working"</div><div>After making the transition across the Juniata river, the northern portion of Shade Mountain was "Definitely Not Working" and we were looking for a place to land. There were no thermals to work with, since an overcast sky blocked out all the sun. </div><div><br /></div><div>We came in 12th place that day. Papa-Lima, the one that took that bad left turn at Altoona, ranked 13th for the day. They never got off of Raystown ridge, and did a landing at an airport much further back on the course than we did. </div><div>I had the GoPro running while we were deciding which field to land in. This could be a valuable resource if you've never seen an off-field landing in a glider before. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="297" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cczN8fy-5oA" width="357" youtube-src-id="cczN8fy-5oA"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hyRsU_bQ2i0Q9rc7HRl9k?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/264531" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29361&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/24/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a>. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Day 9: Wrapping it up</h3><p>Unbelievable! We had 10 days available for soaring, and we flew on 9 of them. </p><p>The only way we're going to place in this contest is if we are the only ones to make it around, while everybody else lands out. This isn't going to happen. Instead, I decided to have a lazy fun day, and my average speed showed it. We came in dead last (11th place) for the 20 meter multi-seat class. This flight wasn't particularly remarkable, so I won't go into much detail. </p><p>Strangely enough, we had come in sixth place overall. All of the other competitors who ranked lower than us had made more mistakes than we did. </p><p>Flight Track on <a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6hyq4JgaQGX0QJJnW9k5W-?u=i" target="_blank">SeeYou</a>, <a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/264813" target="_blank">WeGlide</a>, <a href="https://members.ssa.org/ContestResults.asp?contestId=2549&ContestDetailId=29365&ContestName=2023+20%2DMeter+Multi+Place++Standard+Class&ContestDate=5/25/2023&ResultsUpdate=True" target="_blank">SSA Scoresheet</a>. </p><p><br /></p></div>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-62170584744234223612022-06-24T14:42:00.000-04:002022-06-24T14:42:11.540-04:0020 Meter Multi-Seat Nationals Contest<h2 style="text-align: left;">Prologue:</h2><p>Every year a different soaring club hosts a national competition for the big two-seat gliders like mine. In 2018, the first of these competitions took place in Mifflin, Pennsylvania. In 2019, I drove to Albert Lea, Minnesota for that 20 meter competition. In 2020 COVID caused the contest to be canceled. It was rescheduled for June of 2021 in northern California. (I missed that one). This year, the contest was being hosted in Sunflower, Kansas. </p><p>Back in January, I sent a note to the membership, seeking copilots and crew. I got two responses in a few minutes after sending the email: Mark Schababerle and Chris Norris. For these sorts of events, it's really good to have one crewmember standing by for the inevitable landout, while the other one acts as copilot. The gliding competition requires that both seats in the glider are occupied for every flying day during the contest. </p><p>Sunday May 29th (five days before driving out to the contest), Chris is crewing for Shane up at Mifflin, Pennsylvania for a different glider contest. Chris drives back early from the contest because there was an outbreak of COVID at the contest. A total of six contestants withdrew from the contest at Mifflin. Chris had no symptoms. I start looking for an alternative copilot anyway. I scrounge through my list of retired guys who would fit the bill. It turns out that the 6 people I called all had something better to do. (I can't believe it either). Chris and I decide that he'll fly out to Wichita on some indeterminate date, and I'll drive to Kansas alone. In the meantime, I'll fly with Mark every day, and hope I don't land out. </p><p>Chris was originally planning on being my co-driver for the epic 20 hour drive from Front Royal VA to Yoder, Kansas. Somehow Erik (Weezy) gets wind that I need a helper to drive and volunteers. We make arrangements to rendezvous at Dulles Airport on Friday morning. We get to Front Royal, hook up the trailer, and are on the road to Kansas by 10:00 AM. We plan to overnight somewhere in Kentucky. Maybe Louisville or Knoxville. We take the southern route, down I-81, to I-64 West, through Kentucky. Google Maps had an alternate route, going through Petersburg, WV. Those roads are really no fun with a big trailer, so I insist on the southern route, sticking to Interstate highways. </p><p>When you're driving with a huge trailer, I have to be more picky about the sorts of gas stations we use for fueling. I like the big truck stops that advertise being RV-friendly. I really don't like small town gas stations, where there isn't much room to maneuver the big trailer around. Hitting the back of the trailer on a gas pump, or smashing the wheel into a curb is no fun. We managed to navigate 4 different gas stations without any percussive interactions. Only once were we faced with a situation where we had to disconnect the trailer because "it just wouldn't fit. " We spent the night in Louisville, KY; where we met up with some old buddies of Weezy's. </p><p>On Saturday, we resumed the trip. I dropped off Weezy at Kansas International airport. If you could imagine the big QQ trailer driving through the passenger drop-off, it was as weird a sight as you might think. I continued the next 233 miles solo, arriving at Sunflower Aerodrome at around 10 PM that evening. </p><p>Mark met me at the airport and helped me set up the tent in the dark. We parked the trailer between two Ensign Hangars on the northern side of the massive glider tie-down areas. We were warned as to where the glider tie downs would be huge puddles, and which areas would be drier. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Sunday: Practice Day 1</h3><p>The conditions were marginal. I assembled QQ with Mark, and we pushed out to the line for an informal grid time at 12:00. We were second in line to launch, behind Pete Alexander, flying in "98". Pete's glider is a motorglider. The sniffer report indicated "We're climbing 200 feet a minute with the engine out", so we waited a bit longer. I finally launched to the smoothest conditions I could ever imagine. We worked some marginal lift to stretch the flight out to 22 minutes. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Monday: Practice Day 2</h3><p>I couldn't even get to the start line, the conditions were so weak. I landed and followed a rule I learned from Dave Weaver. "Never get a relight on a practice day." Mark and I put away QQ with some help from a neighboring glider pilot. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Tuesday: Contest Day 1</h3><p>[<a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6gtW2OOuQVLewpzGav1oT-?u=m" target="_blank">SeeYou.Cloud track of this flight</a>] We get our grid position, right behind "98" and right in front of "2PP", a Duo Discus from Harris Hill. 2PP was being flown by Noah Reitter and Daniel Sazhin. The conditions were marginal. All of this part of Kansas had been drenched by rainy day after rainy day. I head out on task anyway. </p><p>We got to the first turnpoint without much difficulty. The journey to the second turnpoint featured the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/quivira">Quivira National Wildlife Refuge</a>. This wildlife refuge is known for its marshy wetlands, and zillions of different species of birds. Birdwatchers come from all over the world to this place. I had never heard of it before, and wondered why there were so few fields below. I was also wondering why there were no thermals. There were no soaring birds, either. I spotted a wildfire to the southwest, so I immediately headed for it. There were three other gliders circling in that smoke. By the time I got to it, it wasn't really working anymore. I pressed on to the second turnpoint. </p><p>By the time we reached the second turnpoint, Mark and I were desperately looking for anything that was an updraft. I spotted some big black field. "Do you think that's good black or bad black?" Black has to be good, right? Black means dark, absorbs sunlight, makes thermals, right? </p><p>This was bad black. It was a <a href="http://www.goldenbeltfeeders.com/">cattle feeding lot</a>. We definitely smelled it as we passed overhead. Also, there was no lift over bad-black. I had asked the flight computer to draw a solution for a nearby airport. "No nearby airports." Great. It wasn't even seven minutes after flying over the cattle feeding lot that I found myself on the ground. There were all sorts of great fields all around. We chose the field that looked like recently-harvested wheat. Perfect. </p><p>I'm amazed that other people made it around the course that day. I wasn't amazed that we weren't the only ones to land out. I probably would have made better speed on course if I knew that the wildlife refuge was a marsh. Just because Kansas may be flat, doesn't mean that the features are homogenous. </p><p>Mark and I waited for about 1 and a half hours before the trailer appeared. We investigated the oil derrick that was adjacent to the wheat field we landed in. We talked to a few people who stopped to see if we were all right. The farmer never showed up to say hi. The Kansas Soaring Association's treasurer, Mike Davis, drove up with my truck and trailer. What a sight for sore eyes! The retrieve wasn't uneventful; we had a hard time getting the glider up to the ramp, since the fuselage had sunk into the soft dusty sandy soil. As we put the glider away, the sky turned from pure blue to an increasing amount of high cirrus overcast. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW1GpfoQtWEMa_12ivZqb4COmPuind9gQ6UiIO3bl_ZbJeHzyKEWpXOqj-Kp6ONm0x2u5uemYZzzouAf--nGZ5Y1O68IQX8ow7LXwTD2Z_DECUJOLR4x0I_99dnC6udWfU1mvhoGlqqTUDILO6WvbAhDi8k7y_m56RmMiW3_RweBRpjH6p3t8tUPg-Q/s3722/PXL_20220608_002145743.PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mark Schababerle helps get QQ back into the trailer" border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="3722" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW1GpfoQtWEMa_12ivZqb4COmPuind9gQ6UiIO3bl_ZbJeHzyKEWpXOqj-Kp6ONm0x2u5uemYZzzouAf--nGZ5Y1O68IQX8ow7LXwTD2Z_DECUJOLR4x0I_99dnC6udWfU1mvhoGlqqTUDILO6WvbAhDi8k7y_m56RmMiW3_RweBRpjH6p3t8tUPg-Q/w640-h284/PXL_20220608_002145743.PANO.jpg" title="Mark Schababerle helps get QQ back into the trailer" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mark Schababerle helps get QQ back into the trailer (looking South)</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Wednesday: Contest Day 2</h3><div>[<a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6gthc6FvPByewpiI4d19mF?u=m" target="_blank">SeeYou.Cloud track of this flight</a>]. I've already fallen behind. I'm in 8th place out of 9 contestants. It's already looking bad, but we're actually only 245 points behind. This day looks difficult. And the conditions look "blue." When you're in a competition and it's blue, it's stupid to blunder out on your own. It's better to stick together. Do some team flying with another glider. See if they're working a thermal, or if you're doing better. Go join them if they're climbing. If you're climbing, expect them to join you. Nobody really gets ahead, but nobody really falls behind, either. <div>Nobody falls behind, unless they're stupid. Either they're stupid or they're desperate to get back ahead. I might have demostrated both of those. I make it to the first turnpoint with no problems. I head out on course for the second turnpoint and hook up with two good thermals along the way. I share the thermals with other gliders on the way to the first turnpoint. The gaggle is working a garbage thermal. I find a great 3 knotter, and climb above them all, and pass them. Awesome. I made the second turnpoint and find a great strong thermal. At this point, I've managed to pass Tango Xray and 2-Papa-Papa. I think I've passed Hotel-Seven, too. Maybe this contest isn't hopeless after all. Tango-Xray and I climbed to the top of this thermal after the second turnpoint. </div><div>Tango-Xray headed southeast (off of the courseline), and I headed out into the blue, directly following the courseline, confident that we would be able to find something else worth circling in. </div><div>(Moran Freeman narrates the next line) "There was no thermal ahead. There was nothing worth circling in." </div><div>I desperately scratch in a weak thermal. The 15 knot winds from the north blow us significantly away from the field where the thermal came from. We sneak back upwind, losing all of the altitude we gained in the weak thermal. I asked the flight computer for landable airfields nearby. Nothing. Thanks. We pick out our favorite 3 fields. I focus on the thermaling, Mark looks at the quality of the fields below. </div><div>We make an uneventful landing in the biggest field I've ever seen. Immediately after coming to a stop, a gator full of farmers shows up to greet us. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileKW88iByOpWQFSwLC9UGGl1yxIXiOZri-q0UV5FSCWUbezhfGz2v1Qa-gqLAakc358rqmRssp1AkHB9_8A61N4enZI26axTH7MyvZzV4frAfY-VSPDTa8cG8dDwRXrPocA4cmSTYxRCePu2zjEI9ZsrX9xUs7d5igKonmAmry6GaWUc_al4RuBf75g/s3280/PXL_20220608_223909437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Family Yoder posing in front of QQ" border="0" data-original-height="2464" data-original-width="3280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEileKW88iByOpWQFSwLC9UGGl1yxIXiOZri-q0UV5FSCWUbezhfGz2v1Qa-gqLAakc358rqmRssp1AkHB9_8A61N4enZI26axTH7MyvZzV4frAfY-VSPDTa8cG8dDwRXrPocA4cmSTYxRCePu2zjEI9ZsrX9xUs7d5igKonmAmry6GaWUc_al4RuBf75g/w640-h480/PXL_20220608_223909437.jpg" title="Family Yoder posing in front of QQ" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /><div><p>Brian, a member of KSA, showed up in a very short time. We weren't that far away from the airport. In the meantime, a second family of individuals, also named "Yoder" showed up. This one had his grandson, Theo. He was very interested in the glider, and of course, I promptly put him in the cockpit. </p><p>The retrieve was not without issues. My truck got stuck in the soft soil with the trailer attached. Despite my truck being in four-wheel-drive mode, the soil was too soft and sandy. Getting the glider up onto the cradle also proved to be a challenge. We eventually got the glider out of the field and headed back to the airport. By the time we got home, all the food from the dinner being served was gone. :( </p><p>How did I do on the scoresheet!? I was hoping you wouldn't ask. Two landouts in a row can really hurt your chances on the scoresheet. I placed 7th out of 9 that day. Only 3 gliders in our class made it around the course that day. The other gliders that landed out in my class were mostly motorgliders who used their motors to get home) (must be nice). I've got 302 points and the leader has 666 points. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Midnight Tent Destruction</h3><div>At 0200 I was awoken by something hitting my face. It was my tent. A storm was coming through. This tent had weathered 15 years of use, and was about to face its ultimate challenge: Kansas thunderstorms. Within a few minutes, the storm had kicked up enough strength, the poles that held the tent up started to creak and break. I ran out to my truck to find a tarp. Chris and I placed the cots side-by-side, piled as much of the stuff in the tent onto the cots as we could, and covered everything with a tarp. </div><div>Over the next two hours, we stood in the tent, trying to keep it from collapsing any further. We spent the night in the clubhouse after the rain stopped. All of the items in the tent were at least damp. Somehow, I managed to get 6 and a half hours of sleep, and I wasn't drowsy at all during the day. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DMpNvQIreblb3uyK3YVm2u36L3g8mZe7UvG4CJOVxMaDKm26_ljbYiCMaugKTKJpqCdLwk-D2Ri0Pf5YZr_WoFSdO-AOMZ9WQT_3szR7HCiKVOj_yYcieXeCIWm76PUHzm_7iHSvFpk2g2UQj2QLcUxEQeQcp62gWWoiCrPLR3vnEBz7sNdWTah9DA/s4080/PXL_20220610_133507585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DMpNvQIreblb3uyK3YVm2u36L3g8mZe7UvG4CJOVxMaDKm26_ljbYiCMaugKTKJpqCdLwk-D2Ri0Pf5YZr_WoFSdO-AOMZ9WQT_3szR7HCiKVOj_yYcieXeCIWm76PUHzm_7iHSvFpk2g2UQj2QLcUxEQeQcp62gWWoiCrPLR3vnEBz7sNdWTah9DA/w640-h482/PXL_20220610_133507585.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Friday: Contest Day Three</h3><p> [<a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6guFLHFUQeLf8ByQiyN0DF?u=m" target="_blank">SeeYou.Cloud track of this flight</a>] I definitely don't want to land out three days in a row. Getting on the podium wasn't ever really likely for me anyway, so let's just get this straight: Don't. Land. Out. Again. Chris Norris has arrived in town. Somewhere between Contest Day 2 and 3, we had a thunderstorm roll in and cancel a flying day. This third contest day looked like it could actually work out. Chris took the back seat, while Mark acted as the retrieve crew. </p><p>The conditions are pretty dicey at the start. For those of us near the back of the pack, we can't get to a starting height near the start line anywhere near the time the gates open. I watch the gliders that launched before us get to the starting line and go out on course without me. I struggle to gain enough altitude to get to the start, and limp toward the first turnpoint. 9 thermals, 57 minutes, and 58 kilomters later, I dip into the first turn area. There are plenty of clouds along the way to the first turnpoint, but once we get to the first turnpoint, there's nothing but blue sky wasteland ahead. </p><p>Does this mean there are no thermals? Does this mean there are thermals, but they're invisible? I don't know. What I do know, however, is I'm not freaking landing out today. So we're not going to blunder off into the blue and find out if there are no thermals or not. </p><p>I head back into the second turn area, and follow as many clouds as I could find. I hang out with Mike Brooks in his Genesis 2 and make the most of a tall thermal. After this thermal, I look across a vast swath of land, unmarked by thermals. It's 15 kilometers until we get to the edge of the third turnpoint, and all I feel along the way is: NOTHING. Not a blip on the variometer. It's the smoothest air I've seen all day. You know, landing out three days in a row isn't that bad, right? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm17vK5rPP60hfk6EcfVGcf_AYNR2sm-5T7jjCngYDy-RDzoGNtb40zpj7pPFywZMCHPsHTm-tXveuMxljPwu_FHe6esXGKeOHsm_N-FIF4Zab-foAmAUNQJ6bQAKlhr3tz2ukGvlOSilltuCbVqRiV_iW7lohOeR_JmRSot6DPHGKvbz1rWuNQjCfw/s4080/PXL_20220610_212445651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDm17vK5rPP60hfk6EcfVGcf_AYNR2sm-5T7jjCngYDy-RDzoGNtb40zpj7pPFywZMCHPsHTm-tXveuMxljPwu_FHe6esXGKeOHsm_N-FIF4Zab-foAmAUNQJ6bQAKlhr3tz2ukGvlOSilltuCbVqRiV_iW7lohOeR_JmRSot6DPHGKvbz1rWuNQjCfw/w640-h482/PXL_20220610_212445651.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The photo above shows the turn area for the third turnpoint. The turn area has a 20 km radius. The task is to fly into that area as fast as you can. The object is to make it home after 3 hours. I have configured the flight computer to show how far we should go into the turn area. Given our current speed so far, if we went approximately half-way into the turn area, we would arrive at home exactly at 3 hours. What the flight computer doesn't know, however, is how terrible the soaring looks ahead. There is what appears to be one small cumulus cloud way off in the distance. Maybe another 20 kilometers ahead. Will it work? Will we have enough altitude to get there? Will we maybe find some kind of thermal between here and there? I don't know the answers to these questions. </p><p>What I do know, however, is "I'm not freaking landing out three freaking days in a row." I clip the edge of that turn area, and head for home. I will surely be penalized for returning as much as a half-hour early. I don't care. I just want to get home. I limp home. "Think skinny thoughts. Fly exactly Max L/D" We didn't find anything for a long time, but there were promising clouds ahead. I eventually found some very weak thermals of about a knot, which we used for a while. The flight computer got more optimistic about our ability to make it home. We went from needing 4000 feet of climb, to needing 2000 feet of climb, to being 300 feet over final glide altitude. I'll take it. </p><p>We made it home. We were the first in our class to get home. I got penalized for showing up under the minimum time. There were three gliders in our 20m class who landed out on Contest Day 3, so I'm pretty sure I made the right choice, limping home when I did. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Canceled Days in a Row</h3><p>We've had a total of five days cancelled due to weather, but four of those happened consecutively. Between contest days 2 and 3 we had a thunderstorm roll in right during the best time of day for soaring. After contest day 3 we had strong southerly winds in excess of 30 knots that lasted for a few days. This would have made lining up all the gliders at the grid problematic. For two of the four consecutive days that were cancelled, we put all of the gliders on the runway, and then decided that it wasn't going to be flyable at all. In other words, we put all the effort to assemble the glider, drag it to the launch point, drag it back to the trailer, and put it away again. </p><p>I took a day off and went to the local Hutchinson Kansas museum called "<a href="https://cosmo.org/">The Cosmosphere</a>." What a gem! There were all sorts of museum specimens from the US-USSR space race in the 1960s. </p><h3>Wednesday: Contest Day Four:</h3></div></div></div><div>[<a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6gv4ZrsnQZqewGjBmqrsBV?u=m">SeeYou.Cloud track of this flight</a>] Out of 9 contestants, here I sit: in eighth place. I think of that scene in Caddyshack, when Chevy Chase is consoling Rodney Dangerfield about how bad Rodney has been playing golf. "<a href="https://youtu.be/qP02Krpw2G8">You're.... You're. Not good. </a>" There are only two potential contest days remaining. Weather-wise this contest has been quite the flop. The conditions were looking pretty good via SkySight, and the mood around the clubhouse was that Wednesday was going to be a great soaring day. We had two gliders withdraw from the contest entirely. Hotel Seven had his canopy delaminate from the canopy rail due to the heat. Alpha Xray Charlie saw that he was so far down the list, and the upcoming weather so hopeless that the two pilots decided to withdraw and cut their losses. What this means to me that I can't come in dead-last place; there are two gliders that will definitely be below me in the rankings! (yay?) </div><div>The weather forecasters say that this flying day will be great. There's a convergence of two air masses that will allow for people to use this lift line. The contest managers made use of this convergence to make good speed. To the south and east of this convergence, you'll find thermals and clouds. To the north and west of this convergence, you'll find blue skies and cooler air. There is a significant wind shift across this convergence line. </div><div>Here's the problem: I have zero experience with convergence lift. I've only read about them in books. They're not handled in the Condor flight simulator. I don't know how to use the fancy HAWK variometer to tell me that I'm in a convergence. I think I'm really at a disadvantage here! </div><div>Literally 15 seconds after the Contest Director (CD) announces that our class starts, I head across the start line. I head south toward the first turn area. There are great clouds along the way, and I spend a lot of time following cloud streets. We get kind of low before reaching the first turn area, but I find a good thermal and climb out. Sylvia Grandstaff is in an adjacent thermal, and I see her dump her water ballast. We still have a full load of water in the wings. </div><div>I wander in various directions within the first turn area. I'm following clouds that are getting weaker as we get further south. We hang out with Tango-Xray for a while. We are flying side-by-side. When he finds a thermal, he circles, and we go join him. Sometimes, we find a thermal, and he joins us. Eventually, we separated. Things aren't going as well as they were earlier in the task. Every cloud we find doesn't have much going on, and we're getting lower. The thermals we do work are a half knot or a knot of lift. We pass by 3 clouds that looked good, but produced nothing. </div><div>I head toward the second turnpoint with a headwind. There are several circular fields which look to be very wet and very green. It is unlikely that there are going to be any thermals coming off of those fields. I head further south, into the wind and barely touch the turn point. We are at 1500' AGL, and I should be planning a field to land in if this doesn't work out. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmL6Oy6nwAyATCX10p5tWB7lmbxsskY1rB5QrrZgtGCkW-hfvvz6Vb0zgr2VwNyRMI28cSYOB9xiZtiaCWHovkYA6IiRu0NuOLpUFkcGpFw5MehaytXfPnPSbFjmd7QFKFzwfpfSl1L7pdSlxgX7A79tdDJoUcTmrgq3G2oArDcDTD04g61ZiVmoTCQ/s905/Day%20Four%20Turnpoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="905" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmL6Oy6nwAyATCX10p5tWB7lmbxsskY1rB5QrrZgtGCkW-hfvvz6Vb0zgr2VwNyRMI28cSYOB9xiZtiaCWHovkYA6IiRu0NuOLpUFkcGpFw5MehaytXfPnPSbFjmd7QFKFzwfpfSl1L7pdSlxgX7A79tdDJoUcTmrgq3G2oArDcDTD04g61ZiVmoTCQ/w640-h436/Day%20Four%20Turnpoint.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />We connect with a solid 3 knot thermal. I circle to the left (like I always do in times of stress), and we climb over 4000 feet in 12 minutes. Since we already hit the turn area, there wasn't much point in going further, so we headed back. </div><div>The flight computer said we needed a few more hundred feet to get home. There were plenty of clouds marking the way ahead. We also had the benefit of a 19 knot tailwind at altitude. I found a nice thermal and climbed with Papa and Papa-Golf. The last 57 kilometers didn't offer any lift at all. As we got closer to the airfield, the winds changed direction! Suddenly we were faced with a 10 knot headwind instead of a 19 knot tailwind. </div><div>This must be that convergence thing I heard about. In retrospect, I should have been able to find some sort of magical lift-all-the-way path where these two winds were meeting up. I will have to work on this skill. </div><div>We ended up in sixth place. There was one glider that landed out. It turns out that Tango Xray landed out briefly after we flew together. I guess I found that once piece of lift that he didn't! All the other guys who placed ahead of me didn't get stuck down low. They managed to pick good lift lines and never get to the point that they needed to get a 3 knot thermal to save their bacon. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Final Contest Day</h3><div>The entire fleet launched for was was going to be a great soaring day. However, the thermals never really got good enough at the airport. It was surely a great soaring day between Sunflower and Dodge City. It wasn't that good near the airport. The contest was canceled about 30 seconds before I called in for a landing. We spent a lot of time scratching in 1 knot lift with a very crowded thermal. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Lessons Learned / Take-aways: </h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Learn more about how to identify and make use of convergence lift. </li><li>Learn more about how to line up the task with the terrain features; </li><li>Spend more time looking at the land features and see if there are any areas where there is likely to be less lift. Just because it's Kansas and Kansas is flat, that doesn't mean the terrain is homogenous. Find out when the task might go over a marsh, and plan a way of avoiding it. </li><li>When the conditions are blue skies and no thermal markers, stick together! It's unlikely you'll get really far ahead against this caliber of pilots. </li><li>Make sure the FLARM is working well before the contest starts. There were times a glider appeared out of nowhere. (It turns out that the antenna has become loose on the PowerFLARM unit). </li><li>Consider getting an electric winch to help get the glider unstuck from a sandy or muddy landout field. </li><li>Tents and Kansas and thunderstorms don't mix. </li><li>Learn more about how the HAWK variometer works. I got the software upgrade only 2 flights before the contest started, so I really haven't fleshed out all of the ways to make use of it. </li></ul></div><div><br /></div>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-81048157779995110282021-12-22T10:56:00.002-05:002021-12-22T11:04:13.944-05:00Unexpected Wave (2021-12-19)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQjY0zo7F9lTTcyKzB5KnqvNb0DSJZXizg2hbWgmI5rb75KmUpyuU8fLlirVu4PZnaY6DVZtxev5RclrRONe0kPUZdORHXZBWeU9GTV2ZZLqqp9ejoQfSzsw7r24GGZzipmb1_yXL70RdsqG8pmwJo8r5NqcCW_WxaY_h-qlVk0ct2JBCw9cvxoyHPAA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQjY0zo7F9lTTcyKzB5KnqvNb0DSJZXizg2hbWgmI5rb75KmUpyuU8fLlirVu4PZnaY6DVZtxev5RclrRONe0kPUZdORHXZBWeU9GTV2ZZLqqp9ejoQfSzsw7r24GGZzipmb1_yXL70RdsqG8pmwJo8r5NqcCW_WxaY_h-qlVk0ct2JBCw9cvxoyHPAA=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I had a great flight on the 19th of December, 2021. </p><p>Here's a recap of the flight with in-flight photos: </p><p><a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/116650"></a><a href="https://www.weglide.org/flight/116650">https://www.weglide.org/flight/116650</a><br />or<br /><a href="https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6gNDJVjON-L3quDyX09t0V?u=i">https://seeyou.cloud/flight/public/6gNDJVjON-L3quDyX09t0V?u=i</a></p><br /><div>Syed and I launched to overcast skies; maybe a spot or two of blue might be seen. I elected to leave the oxygen system on the ground and launch anyway. <br />I took a 4000' tow. The headwinds on the flight computer showed 340 at 11. We released between Signal Knob and the Strasburg quarry (1728Z). I circled around in some weak thermals. Nothing really usable over Signal Knob or Meneka Peak (1740Z). The computer said the winds were too northerly for me to go run the ridge (See my diagram below, which I've drawn from experience, anecdote and survivorship bias; the numbers on Sunday were between "Marginal" and "My Limit" ). Eventually I found a good thermal right over the fish pond (1751Z). I worked my way upwind to the next band of clouds (1800Z). Riding just below the clouds, I gained speed, popped out in front of the cloud and got into the wave (1803Z).</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixeqab5FFpA0WZnsoizjKBrbHjP8I5hOPwl8TyCkPfTmlLuk_J_cMgMwnCDVZNdpLOvt5Uqj4WxWywdeYsgFDQhqfhcUSeVlakE5BFx2KGw2zvhA38lz4rSmMVS9lgsPQbG_x1eakVBiw4bNcGiFL9_01nsHO6hmRDLgVMyhQXGbdi2TfXgr1zrJuYkw=s1373" style="background-color: white; clear: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="1266" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixeqab5FFpA0WZnsoizjKBrbHjP8I5hOPwl8TyCkPfTmlLuk_J_cMgMwnCDVZNdpLOvt5Uqj4WxWywdeYsgFDQhqfhcUSeVlakE5BFx2KGw2zvhA38lz4rSmMVS9lgsPQbG_x1eakVBiw4bNcGiFL9_01nsHO6hmRDLgVMyhQXGbdi2TfXgr1zrJuYkw=w421-h457" width="421" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>By 1805Z we were in the wave, in front of the clouds, and climbing on a northeasterly course toward Stevens City. We turned around, headed south back toward the Massanutten. The clouds were starting to clear out and the lift bands were getting more defined at this point. You can see the photos taken in weglide; there are little camera icons at each point in the flight. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXmEYFT-ToEj4ncDi-2KWybn2Ny8-5T_ngS6B-yD2beO9oYCG9FlQXbHZUiAmFEs2BQi9eJa5nfKOO-f8ubpsCFATBX-O9QaiZyfjBMP4K5ziIbxue7o8ToNvBq0xEwLIljStlECEefozJZMumPtR5j_-7XMj1c4pYoCaZyT7syTwJVDoEVMbZ6ZlsXg=s305" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="305" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXmEYFT-ToEj4ncDi-2KWybn2Ny8-5T_ngS6B-yD2beO9oYCG9FlQXbHZUiAmFEs2BQi9eJa5nfKOO-f8ubpsCFATBX-O9QaiZyfjBMP4K5ziIbxue7o8ToNvBq0xEwLIljStlECEefozJZMumPtR5j_-7XMj1c4pYoCaZyT7syTwJVDoEVMbZ6ZlsXg" width="305" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>At 1904Z we connected with the best wave lift of the flight; a solid 5-6 knots right over the town of Woodstock. We stopped climbing because I didn't have oxygen, and I really don't like flying high without oxygen. My personal limit is 10000 feet and I won't go a foot above it. Did you know that the EASA rules for flying gliders in Europe prohibit flying gliders above 10,000 feet? They had enough marginally hypoxic pilots smash into the side of Mont Blanc to change the rules for all of Europe. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>By this time the clouds were really well defined. You can see the sat photos overlay with the flight in SeeYou. By this time, it was just a matter of "follow the clouds, and you'll find lift" </div><div>This sat photo was taken approximately the same time that I was at the arrow location in the SW corner of this flight. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhONpRSxXzxDwGsQmGJ0Rj6CICxMwB_L5xD8aiZjsl2AClK0RLEWqNpXj79kpcZ7RS4F68yoQ9PcvpcP53lJCMzVrm5Tl0ayF0-HvGDNEPif_lEAEH39Q8oT9cR8flnTxJqXEwOTU5AFLcjKe-PvfEcA02ODXl4j1BKxwxBDJktf7O6w26FBfkOriER4w=s860" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="SeeYou flight with sat photo overlay" border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="860" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhONpRSxXzxDwGsQmGJ0Rj6CICxMwB_L5xD8aiZjsl2AClK0RLEWqNpXj79kpcZ7RS4F68yoQ9PcvpcP53lJCMzVrm5Tl0ayF0-HvGDNEPif_lEAEH39Q8oT9cR8flnTxJqXEwOTU5AFLcjKe-PvfEcA02ODXl4j1BKxwxBDJktf7O6w26FBfkOriER4w=w400-h398" title="SeeYou flight with sat photo overlay" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>At 1920Z I leveled out at 7600 feet, turned the vario into "netto mode" and tried to maintain altitude while flying as fast as possible. I got a true airspeed of 104 knots until 1940Z, where the wave wasn't as strong. We kept going north toward Winchester. By this time, my bladder was starting to complain, so we decided to head back. </div><div><br /></div><div>The AWOS was reporting 340 at 9, variable wind direction from 030 to 330. This should be exciting. I guess it was uneventful, but not my best landing. </div><div><br /></div><div>I managed to have zero wave flights in all of 2020; the first time in more than a decade that I hadn't gotten into any wave at all during a year. 2021 turned out to have wave at least 8 different times throughout the year, including one in July (!) This is two flights this year that I thought there "might" be wave, and I left the O2 system on the ground. I should revise my plan that even if there isn't a 5% chance of wave, I'll pack it onboard. Who knows?! </div><div><br /></div><div>SkySight really under-predicted the wave; here's the IGC overlay against the 10000' wave prediction for Sunday: </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh70bwy67A_eEEbgCeQEhZCnHLtTidaYJOnfGSALiBQay6B968Y2Xpgf14FsGV3JWcSjX6J0tz2IdEvCtQ2Z7QJ_3j9A2sBx33NIXJ4wDkRA41FI8sWVq_OLjzPDWH5EngurNGetBl2sZ0PGD9gbpVSgaUqKTDcFbTh6uRC1D8sFI-GXA_MM8InbNZOxQ=s950" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="950" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh70bwy67A_eEEbgCeQEhZCnHLtTidaYJOnfGSALiBQay6B968Y2Xpgf14FsGV3JWcSjX6J0tz2IdEvCtQ2Z7QJ_3j9A2sBx33NIXJ4wDkRA41FI8sWVq_OLjzPDWH5EngurNGetBl2sZ0PGD9gbpVSgaUqKTDcFbTh6uRC1D8sFI-GXA_MM8InbNZOxQ=w400-h395" title="SkySight.io prediction of wave" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Photo album: <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/6UZ533NBq2UEEtvt8">https://photos.app.goo.gl/6UZ533NBq2UEEtvt8</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div></div>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-56823560993866456902021-05-24T15:06:00.004-04:002021-05-24T15:06:44.060-04:00QQ Instrument Panel Functionality<p>Back in 2020, I performed a massive upgrade to the instrument panel for the QQ glider. The main reasons for this huge upgrade included:</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Transponder Installation</h3><p>Installing a transponder, so that Air Traffic Control can easily see my glider and route airliners around me. A transponder is a small radio transmitter that sends out radio signals that Air Traffic Control (ATC) can interpret. The modern transponders are programmed with a unique signal identifying the aircraft. They also have a small altimeter on-board, so they report altitude information, too. Any aircraft flying into the busy airspace around big airports need to be equipped with a new style of equipment that compliments the transponder, called ADS-B. The ADS-B signal sends GPS information along with the transponder signal. In addition to sending location information, ADS-B is also rebroadcast by radio towers installed at choice locations. </p><p><b>What this means to you</b>: as a regular person, you can now get a great view about where all of the airliners and general aviation aircraft are at any time. You can pull up a website called FlightAware.com to see details about those planes flying over your house. Here's the FlightAware.com screenshot from my house here on a Thursday night: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw1r-349emqMnNvfkoiezQQQ19fEY7YWmzXn8aoX9hKNjenPtNddtN5JMadITQBSP0Wdezm3J4rXBpxVDDww23OqR1Y-0ZU-FOhQFlz8NTGHTgINBL5-wW_FlN05jeKCFqxOy2_tWcWVg/s1517/flightaware.com-screenshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="941" data-original-width="1517" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPw1r-349emqMnNvfkoiezQQQ19fEY7YWmzXn8aoX9hKNjenPtNddtN5JMadITQBSP0Wdezm3J4rXBpxVDDww23OqR1Y-0ZU-FOhQFlz8NTGHTgINBL5-wW_FlN05jeKCFqxOy2_tWcWVg/w400-h248/flightaware.com-screenshot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Now that QQ has an ADS-B installation -- in addition to the transponder -- You could watch my flight unfold as I'm doing it. Here's the FlightAware ground track of a flight I took on the 23rd of January, 2021. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqinmYmKImV4VOmEWCYf_-JCioddPp-1X3ZxWWK37WGsPNYpuNR4H4TFBs2xHNYulrOR2Qz-vKALGbtGleLHqh_h14wklq2WT8O9Tk9PLymIFA181ylwwoyrxzCTuuhivZKffiLq2St0R/s1539/2020-01-23-flightaware-sectional.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1539" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqinmYmKImV4VOmEWCYf_-JCioddPp-1X3ZxWWK37WGsPNYpuNR4H4TFBs2xHNYulrOR2Qz-vKALGbtGleLHqh_h14wklq2WT8O9Tk9PLymIFA181ylwwoyrxzCTuuhivZKffiLq2St0R/w400-h314/2020-01-23-flightaware-sectional.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green line shows ground track, as recorded from FlightAware.com</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>What this means to me</b>: Now that ATC can see my little invisible glider very clearly, when there is an airliner bearing down on me, I don't have to depend on the airline captain to be looking out his window to see me. ATC will notice me on their scopes, realize I'm a glider, and route the airliner around me. Aviation safety is definitely increased because of my transponder installation. There are places north of where I normally fly where aircraft come barreling over Winchester, converge over Winchester, and head on toward Dulles. There are times when I'm flying at the same altitude as those airliners. There are times I've been flying in an airliner and recognized the scenery that I've flown over this exact spot in a glider. I've definitely got more peace of mind since the transponder installation. </div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">New Flight Computer</h3><p>The whole panel was redone to make room for this huge screen. The screen is much more easily read than the older flight computer that it replaced. The display is much more easily read, even in the bright sunlight. The flight computer presents a lot more useful information in one view, without having to hunt around for different information on different screens. </p><p>Now that I have more screen real estate, I can get information about nearby aircraft. Since other aircraft are also ADS-B equipped, I can see them on the flight display. This is not a substitute for actually looking outside, as there are still many aircraft that do not have an ADS-B installation. When other aircraft are on a collision course, the flight computer gets information from an ADS-B receiver, detects if there's a possible collision course, and displays that information on the screen, along with a robot voice, telling me where to look. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Better Navigation</h3><p>There are times when I'm flying the glider, and the lift has quit. I have the option of landing in a field somewhere. I have come to prefer landing at airports -- there's so much less drama. But if I'm doing an unexpected diversion toward an airport, maybe it would be handy to have that information on-hand when I'm going there. What is the tower frequency? What is the runway length? What sort of facilities can I find? Back in the old days, you would carry a book with you called the "Airport Facilities Directory." If you've ever seen my skinny cockpit, and my non-skinny presence, you'd notice there is a distinct lack of space. Not even much space for a small booklet. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9n59wN8dAevG4u2wnht_hlHQI8R2VJsRSSWL8Uxlz4rjNhEIoY0Lr9qoAs_IgAirXa_jaY5nkKRfVgckezzltCZ9wllqhmHBKN_j5o2J1mMRQfIx4QFb-Pn6lmO064j5vFK7imafEOv1/s1400/SPS_AFD_group-web.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1400" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9n59wN8dAevG4u2wnht_hlHQI8R2VJsRSSWL8Uxlz4rjNhEIoY0Lr9qoAs_IgAirXa_jaY5nkKRfVgckezzltCZ9wllqhmHBKN_j5o2J1mMRQfIx4QFb-Pn6lmO064j5vFK7imafEOv1/w400-h274/SPS_AFD_group-web.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airport Facility Directory. Do they even print these anymore?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>That booklet is obsolete every few months, takes up a lot of space. The flight computer stores all that information, and makes its recall really easy. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="739" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzPyaj3Hg6MmyYTPgzN3bZoFPgerpJQ1t_luCIlOif5HjP1QUwDakYlwIp93XIoYFIcDoZPtAdHJ5zZeaoqCkli327Jz_2ZeBPKn_IzZ-ptE2i9YndolwsSDN3USJ9CQ8mRWX8qCjTH41/w250-h400/go-to-winchester.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LX9070 Airport Information View</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1177" data-original-width="745" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CARknmAe_tuF4RfND2LgARwTNAFIX2CBqsp4N4i6vjP4Hr3k5VKaJFrfNpuUaE7pandRg3pkHCCQxZAqYNdaQAdfYBD29HlEcDHlThF4eCn362OWp69BZ5yymlBZqmTZV41zqtZcJ_3x/w254-h400/winchester-landing-chklst.jpg" width="254" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LX9070 landing checklist with airport schematic</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The LX9070's interface has the capability to upload any pictures of an airport, which I import from the FAA's published information in the Digital Chart Supplement (which used to be called an Airport Facility Directory, AFD). I also found a way to easily show the landing checklist, along with the airport diagram, and details about the airport. Neat. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Back Seat Comfort</h3><div style="text-align: left;">I prefer to fly QQ from the back seat. I get to stretch out, and I can monitor my passenger more closely (to tell when they're about to get airsick). Having the passenger in the front seat often means that they may not be familiar with how to operate the radio. There are some kinds of operation that can confuse people: what knobs to turn, etc. I can coach them through all the things to press, but I'd rather not. One of the features of the new flight computer is a bridge from the flight computer to the radio system. By pressing buttons on the flight computer, I can tune or modify the radio in the front seat. In fact, when approaching an airport, I simply tell the flight computer to tune the radio to the airport that we're approaching. That way, the passenger in the front seat can continue enjoying the view. </div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Calculating Glider Mass</h3><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj54PFU7XTMWYSJWzBIxI8FZRPmKvtW3TEnD9E_8jGqbJ-HQKOLWqChXWAhoOA5_siD2HAfi2Bf6_qKJVHDW_GM94s7m-BKsThIQk0hVo9BFZseMLJYpE-H3_IePabw7UfPU2adT3kU9RM/s1179/qq-wb-withwater.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="739" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj54PFU7XTMWYSJWzBIxI8FZRPmKvtW3TEnD9E_8jGqbJ-HQKOLWqChXWAhoOA5_siD2HAfi2Bf6_qKJVHDW_GM94s7m-BKsThIQk0hVo9BFZseMLJYpE-H3_IePabw7UfPU2adT3kU9RM/s320/qq-wb-withwater.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LX9070 Weight and Balance</td></tr></tbody></table>We can fill up the water tanks in the wings and the tail to make the glider heavier. I do this at a penalty of increased sink rate, but a much higher benefit of a speed increase. There is no penalty for the overall <i>glide ratio </i>by making the glider heavier. In order to calculate how much faster the glider should be flown, some careful calculations for how much water should be added have to be evaluated against the maximum mass that the glider can sustain. </div><div style="text-align: left;">In the example to the right, I can fly with two reasonably heavy pilots on-board, another 66 liters of water in the wings, 10 liters of water in the tail, and still be within the flight limits of the glider. The nose isn't too heavy (from the heavy pilots) the tail isn't too heavy (by adding too much water) and we haven't exceeded the maximum mass of the glider. The chart to the right shows the dry mass with a green dot, and a blue dot (at the middle top of the chart) showing the wet mass. </div><div style="text-align: left;">With the new flight masses computed, the flight computer automatically adjusts the suggested speeds, to make the most efficient flying speed possible. In the old ways, I would just have to eyeball-it for a number that was maybe-right-maybe-wrong. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvjxVYrgSeQnD11prND98GPh5I2gIzlXu3UdVGDuNxJ0jWmIDzXXMS7hsUiC9uhKslT3PhUTClEkPEjS-HhebNiox3HKidO2Ups7gaxwWDU1o7Y-s4DfSObT6URbWd-XvR_vqh0LDc7h_/s1516/ridge-run-2021-05-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1516" data-original-width="954" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvjxVYrgSeQnD11prND98GPh5I2gIzlXu3UdVGDuNxJ0jWmIDzXXMS7hsUiC9uhKslT3PhUTClEkPEjS-HhebNiox3HKidO2Ups7gaxwWDU1o7Y-s4DfSObT6URbWd-XvR_vqh0LDc7h_/s320/ridge-run-2021-05-23.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ridge run on a task</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><h3>In-Flight information On-Task</h3><div>While competing at the Region 2 competition in Mifflin, Pennsylvania, our first competition day was a ridge task. After I got out of the start area, I set out on task. The task involved ridge soaring to a location called Spruce Creek, PA. The pink line shows my direct course to the waypoint, the grey line shows the current ground track. I can see the winds in two places, one little arrow next to my glider icon, and another representation of the estimated winds in the bottom left corner. On this page, I have the current glide ratio (which was showing infinity, meaning I'm not descending at all), along with a "You need this kind of glide ratio to get to your waypoint, which is 49 in this picture. In other words, "If all the lift stops right now, you need 49:1 glide ratio to get to the waypoint. My glider can only generate 44:1 at its best, and I would come up short, without the assistance of any lift along the way. </div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzPyaj3Hg6MmyYTPgzN3bZoFPgerpJQ1t_luCIlOif5HjP1QUwDakYlwIp93XIoYFIcDoZPtAdHJ5zZeaoqCkli327Jz_2ZeBPKn_IzZ-ptE2i9YndolwsSDN3USJ9CQ8mRWX8qCjTH41/s1182/go-to-winchester.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzPyaj3Hg6MmyYTPgzN3bZoFPgerpJQ1t_luCIlOif5HjP1QUwDakYlwIp93XIoYFIcDoZPtAdHJ5zZeaoqCkli327Jz_2ZeBPKn_IzZ-ptE2i9YndolwsSDN3USJ9CQ8mRWX8qCjTH41/s1182/go-to-winchester.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzPyaj3Hg6MmyYTPgzN3bZoFPgerpJQ1t_luCIlOif5HjP1QUwDakYlwIp93XIoYFIcDoZPtAdHJ5zZeaoqCkli327Jz_2ZeBPKn_IzZ-ptE2i9YndolwsSDN3USJ9CQ8mRWX8qCjTH41/s1182/go-to-winchester.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p></div>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-77872569104707460222021-02-04T20:54:00.001-05:002021-02-04T20:54:12.088-05:00QQ Panel Upgrade<p> During the COVID-19 shutdown in March through April 2020, I spent a lot of time and money to upgrade the instrument panel for my glider. </p><p>When I first bought the glider, QQ was equipped with an ILEC SN-10B. The ILEC SN-10B is quite old as far as flight computers go, but it's still quite capable for doing many navigational and contest tasks. However, when I got the flight computer, there was a small problem with it. One of the pins in that flight computer's serial cable had broken, which made it impossible to upload information into the SN-10. I replaced the SN-10 with an LXNav 8080. </p><p>I installed the LX8080 a few days before my first contest at Mifflin, and quite frankly had no idea how to operate it on the first day of the contest. By the end of the contest, I had figured out most of the things I needed to do to make it useful. Over the next 3 years, I grew to master its function, and actually got to like it. It was much better than the old SN-10 that it replaced. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9u2lf7Ij17AafO3XAwkUqOe23px99GmzhQ4hfiaKtAgQL_gIWu8Vbq9vwtBNuj0Bi_Ftvud9L1rkgcAXj8_Tnw1lYLAwhg1qTEIhbFEWBVkx9UU0rO2hb3lxs95nZK6d3QLZofH4300I/s4032/IMG_20200403_001556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9u2lf7Ij17AafO3XAwkUqOe23px99GmzhQ4hfiaKtAgQL_gIWu8Vbq9vwtBNuj0Bi_Ftvud9L1rkgcAXj8_Tnw1lYLAwhg1qTEIhbFEWBVkx9UU0rO2hb3lxs95nZK6d3QLZofH4300I/w300-h400/IMG_20200403_001556.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Around September of 2019, I started realizing that this flight computer, although capable, was rather small for my aging eyes. It is only the size of a standard 80mm diameter flight instrument. While this size is quite convenient for making it a drop-in replacement for most other instruments, it's really not a good size for many of the new features that are in the later models of the flight computers from the same manufacturer. <p></p><p>I had ordered brand new blank instrument panels from the glider's manufacturer in August of 2019. By December 2019, I had ordered all of the equipment for the replacement panel. Items started showing up in January and February. I had a friend do most of the work in cutting out the holes in the panel with a laser cutter, a router, some drills, some files and sandpaper. <br /></p><p>I spent many evenings wiring up the back of the panel. I sent a nightly email to the certified aircraft inspector who decided to mentor me through this whole thing. </p><p>By June, I was flying with the new instrument panel. The whole task of doing the panel upgrade was a huge effort and deserves a page of its own. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y4yncPDv6WqOF25t_YO8eqDlP1wxV8yvU0662GriCVa4QpOLG8F5avb8m9dvp-NiMpeYzoKTb7KhC08cWeyAutiVzXiO5i554k-L7qlRgvZIhWQ4PkXnS8bDMgsGr0IB6hj0v5FnGCp4/s4032/IMG_20200509_160121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Y4yncPDv6WqOF25t_YO8eqDlP1wxV8yvU0662GriCVa4QpOLG8F5avb8m9dvp-NiMpeYzoKTb7KhC08cWeyAutiVzXiO5i554k-L7qlRgvZIhWQ4PkXnS8bDMgsGr0IB6hj0v5FnGCp4/w400-h300/IMG_20200509_160121.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Functionality test to ensure all components got power <br />(and nothing caught on fire)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>After everything was installed, we performed a weight and balance. I created a Google Sheets document to simplify the task of handling all the data for weight and balance (W&B): pilot mass, parachutes, wing water, tail water. There are many things that have to be verified when handling the weight and balance. If there are any items out of the required parameters, the checklist shows a warning or an error bar. All of the numbers show up on steam gauges on the spreadsheet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDaGrlPpAhel1E2EZxtp4I3CUhdSCPDHqNDF7nLurv-fuidbb9kegI2GsNq-AfSn-8qFYgzRA7MKneLPiQPi0EDm5Q7ry1VFYaJZTDSJVGbxYsB-6XJL5B9nHX7yMu3mZcVFPbCA4YaK7/s1466/QQ-w-b-2020-06-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1466" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDaGrlPpAhel1E2EZxtp4I3CUhdSCPDHqNDF7nLurv-fuidbb9kegI2GsNq-AfSn-8qFYgzRA7MKneLPiQPi0EDm5Q7ry1VFYaJZTDSJVGbxYsB-6XJL5B9nHX7yMu3mZcVFPbCA4YaK7/w640-h456/QQ-w-b-2020-06-20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Weight and balance for two heavy pilots, still flyable!</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm90nG2VWV7eeUE5kDTrh0HxOQ5n_anbxlqzauRadDo57JydAgZQi0GVmLgKJc9HDxzbf_AEyRaitYm3agIUA3x7r6pvO7dnNMDK8GUQIyec47dRYVWnaPlanU4pZW0L0BYLvSPiMNUru/s4032/IMG_20200607_145438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMm90nG2VWV7eeUE5kDTrh0HxOQ5n_anbxlqzauRadDo57JydAgZQi0GVmLgKJc9HDxzbf_AEyRaitYm3agIUA3x7r6pvO7dnNMDK8GUQIyec47dRYVWnaPlanU4pZW0L0BYLvSPiMNUru/w400-h300/IMG_20200607_145438.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final installation, front seat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IhYE7IAQ_rQcLr1JvhB-2Hsv-6W8nA2cq1r5lfqldtGHCtCTDhccKHjKj15i6GjDoZJuSARWwAt77JrHUci1aulf3Q3SYmsOJLSGjkhrYTPSjtk6tuH6nVossvdK8pv5W7XMNHUpyEi6/s4032/IMG_20200607_145426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IhYE7IAQ_rQcLr1JvhB-2Hsv-6W8nA2cq1r5lfqldtGHCtCTDhccKHjKj15i6GjDoZJuSARWwAt77JrHUci1aulf3Q3SYmsOJLSGjkhrYTPSjtk6tuH6nVossvdK8pv5W7XMNHUpyEi6/w400-h300/IMG_20200607_145426.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final installation, rear seat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-58225191666364968652020-04-14T16:11:00.002-04:002020-04-14T16:11:28.270-04:00Coping Without Soaring During COVID-19With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Skyline Soaring took the unprecedented and appropriate action of shutting down all operations until this nasty virus runs its course. Unfortunately, this leaves me unable to do any flying for the best part of the soaring season. I am coping with this lack of flying in multiple ways.<br />
<h3>
Mach 0.1 and Oculus</h3>
Flying is a perishable skill, and the longer you stay away from flying, the more rust you accumulate. To keep my skills sharp, I have been approximating the act of soaring to the best of my ability. I already have a nice flight simulator cockpit at home, including a Mach 0.1 cockpit and Oculus Rift goggles. Along with the soaring-only flight simulator Condor 2, I have been getting many hours of flying in over the winter and spring break. Although the time in Condor does not count toward the total time in your flight logbook, and the takeoffs and landings can't be counted for your flight currency for 61.57, soaring in a flight simulator is far better than nothing at all.<br />
In fact, I would say that this has the potential to sharpen my skills in some areas that I've been lacking for competition soaring. I'll get more into that when I bring up "US Nightly Soaring."<br />
The Mach 0.1 simulator is essentially a comfy bucket seat, a bunch of PVC pipe and joints (all painted black), a bunch of wires hooked up to a fancy USB controller. The joystick is between the legs (where a joystick is meant to be!) and not up on a table. The rudder pedals are down on the floor, and feel like rudder pedals should. The spoiler handle is to the left of the cockpit, and the release knob is a yellow ball attached to a small string.<br />
When wearing the Oculus goggles, everything is obscured by the mask, but groping around for the flight controls becomes second nature after a few flights.<br />
You can purchase the Mach 0.1 simulator by going to <a href="https://www.gliderbooks.com/mach-0-1">https://www.gliderbooks.com/mach-0-1</a> . I originally purchased it with the idea that students could come over for flight training. It has gotten far many more hours of use as my personal entertainment system.<br />
The Oculus Rift S can be purchased by your favorite computer retailer, or online <a href="https://www.oculus.com/rift-s/?locale=en_US">https://www.oculus.com/rift-s/?locale=en_US</a> . The goggles have internal accelerometers that sense if you are leaning left or right, forward or back, looking up or down, twisting or tilting your head. Every moment you do within the cockpit is faithfully represented on the screen. It is really as if you were sitting in the aircraft. The goggles are worth every penny! I have gotten enough hours with the goggles to make them very worth the purchase price. I got queasy on the first few flights, but have gotten over the airsickness since then.<br />
<h4>
TeamXC.us Soaring</h4>
<div>
Starting in the spring of 2019, a group of low-key glider pilots started doing cooperative soaring adventures with Condor 2. Most of the original members were from Utah, flying with the same club as Bruno Vassal. TeamXC uses the chat program called Discord -- a voice over IP program that enables all of the participants to talk while flying. Those who are familiar with doing games online while chatting with friends are quite familiar with Discord. The format of TeamXC is to draw a line course, starting from an airport of the organizer's choice. The line goes out about 50 km or so. The object of that flight is to fly any course you would like, any path you would like. The only criteria for scoring is that you make it to a point that is perpendicular to the course line. Fly a triangle, fly an out and return. Fly an out-and-retrieve, fly anything you want. </div>
<div>
The people who frequent TeamXC are all incredibly helpful, friendly, supportive. They're just happy to be flying and spending time with other pilots. The atmosphere is very compatible with and similar to the club soaring environment. After a few weeks, you'll learn to recognize everybody's voice, know something about what they fly and what kind of things they like to do. After the flight is over, everybody uploads their flights to a lovely site called SkylinesCondor.com. Learn more about TeamXC by going to <a href="http://teamxc.us/">teamxc.us</a>. You can often find our club's Bill Bank in the crowd. </div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://skylinescondor.com/flights/87:838,835,839,840,841,842,843,844,846,845,848,847#tab-overview" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="862" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8V2fv0qgz7RFPFegIUi-1JMd1WvvMfit6q6gIkec1VTyScB15-65FxKykdMIpPjwKG13CJRlwpJDebG9EOW-fDTjXPo5yGMbGcEm6LW1LBsZjByFoFNL30YcxkBgfIkowos0c6Gj4-vmP/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-04-14+at+1.42.05+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://skylinescondor.com/flights/87:838,835,839,840,841,842,843,844,846,845,848,847#tab-overview" target="_blank">SkylinesCondor shows the results after a flight in Chile</a></td></tr>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
US Nightly Soaring</h4>
<div>
This is a different sort of crowd. The crowd here seems to be more about being competitive. There is certainly room for teaching and mentoring. It seems that the sort of people who join US Nightly Soaring (USNS) are trying to race around a triangle or polygon course as fast as possible. There is a very short window for a join time, so you have to show up at 2100 or you won't make the contest. There are penalties for flying into a cloud. The turn points are about a mile in diameter. There are as many as 70 people online in each session. Gaggle flying with 30 or 40 other gliders makes having the Oculus Rift almost essential for collision-free flying! </div>
<div>
You might be under the mistaken impression that I'm a great pilot, but this competition has certainly put me in my place. I had these grand visions I could be on the podium every night, but disappointment has replaced that fantasy. I have found that I am a mediocre or low quality competition pilot compared to the other pilots here. The highest I have made in the rankings was at spot #13 of a group of 50. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvO7_rwaikud0PCRepOsdGLi9PTKtpH0GmXjMCxOCrCxhVwqODOXKYLJOGYcC2nA0Y_5mB8fqVCE0KJbXU5cWJTfdaS1N2aFN76wkG1whu-TBtxPGJlKdpm0I0ARHRt9e7fy80zvSvgxj/s1600/92675928_10222718700538144_1195708552925151232_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="960" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvO7_rwaikud0PCRepOsdGLi9PTKtpH0GmXjMCxOCrCxhVwqODOXKYLJOGYcC2nA0Y_5mB8fqVCE0KJbXU5cWJTfdaS1N2aFN76wkG1whu-TBtxPGJlKdpm0I0ARHRt9e7fy80zvSvgxj/s400/92675928_10222718700538144_1195708552925151232_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying "Sweet Red" a 1-26 on one night with US Nightly Soaring. As many as 50 gliders behind me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The old expression goes "Practice makes perfect", but I think this expression is somewhat incomplete. It might be something more like "Practice with purpose, retrospectives, lessons learned and guidance make steady improvement." That's kind of a mouthful, though. </div>
<div>
What I have learned about soaring in a competition is hard to write down. There are many intangible skills that are hard to describe. Doing these practice runs really make me aware of where I have some weaknesses. Condor has the ability to replay a contest. I can replay the contest, chasing the leaders to see how they did their flight differently. I still have a lot to learn, and doing these contests has presented me with a group of issues that I need to work on. </div>
<h3>
Do Something Constructive</h3>
<div>
With the COVID-19 lockdown you can mope around about not being able to fly. I certainly have! I have been especially disgruntled after noticing some epic wave weather on we had last week (it was everywhere!) Just complaining about the lockdown doesn't do anybody any good. Let's try to be positive about what you CAN do. </div>
<div>
Me? I choose to focus on identifying and addressing my weaknesses for competitive soaring. Maybe your goals are different. Let me present some constructive actions to take. You probably have a lot of spare time on your hands that could be used to studying for your <a href="http://www.dauntless-soft.com/products/groundschool/" target="_blank">FAA Knowledge written test</a>. You could sign up for many <a href="https://faasafety.gov/default.aspx" target="_blank">FAA Wings Programs</a>. You could read <a href="https://www.cumulus-soaring.com/books/Clement/DancingWithTheWind.htm" target="_blank">that book about soaring weather</a>. You could read up on <a href="https://www.ssa.org/Archive/" target="_blank">old issues of Soaring Magazine</a>. You could read the archives of <a href="http://rec.aviation.soaring/">rec.aviation.soaring</a>, or you could look at the latest <a href="https://wingsandwheels.com/classifieds/?m=glider" target="_blank">classified ads for used gliders</a>. If you don't know much about that glider, go find a back issue of Soaring to read about <a href="https://www.ssa.org/SoaringMagazine?show=blog&id=2395" target="_blank">Dick Johnson's flight report</a> for that glider! Use <a href="https://earth.google.com/web/" target="_blank">Google Earth</a> to review the mountains in the area around Front Royal. You don't have to have an insanely expensive setup to fly Condor missions. Just a joystick and a reasonably fast computer will do. Keep those flying skills less rusty by doing some Condor missions. </div>
<div>
I hope to see you back at the airfield when this is all over. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-60378802670446217902019-09-09T21:25:00.002-04:002019-09-10T11:43:29.877-04:00Region 3 Contest Harris HillIn July of 2019, I ventured to Harris Hill, located in Elmira, NY. I volunteered to take QQ up to this regional contest to support the US Juniors. The SSA allows for many members to fly with experienced cross country pilots (I guess that's me), at one regional contest per year. The planning for this contest was rather late, and the turnout was smaller than it was last year. In 2018, I attended as a pilot for the Juniors up in Michigan, flying as a guest in the Region 6 contest.<br />
I took young Joshua Barber along with me; he registered as an SSA Junior, too. Josh had recently performed his first solo at the Week of Training two weeks before this contest.<br />
The Juniors camped at the campgrounds just outside of the Harris Hill Soaring Center. Juniors from M-ASA and Aero Club Albatross were also in attendance.<br />
<h3>
13 July 2019 Practice Day</h3>
The practice day didn't look promising. We all assembled on the grid. Since I was flying as a guest, I lined up at the very back of the grid. We launched, we scratched around in very weak thermals, and landed. I had a 45 minute flight and went nowhere.<br />
<h3>
14 July 2019 Day 1, Sunday</h3>
The weather was much better for this day. The forecast was for a great soaring day. Blue skies and the perfectly-shaped white puffy clouds. I was flying with Brady Reisch, a rated PPL with M-ASA. We left the start cylinder, headed northwest into the wind, toward Corning, NY. We followed Interstate 390 and its valley up to Dansville, NY. Conditions were looking great ahead, so we kept going, even further into the turn cylinder. The plan was to have a nice downwind dash home, maybe after a few more turns under some good looking clouds ahead, just to the south.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBCzKeKaB34F-ccVuk2L-W1I3sNZJniAmP1Ciwe6H4BM3tOe9UOkQXkYC6AKp9r_xLGTAf6Di6zIhvqsWx3c0OcfvX8FbR5goX4UW4O_Roz7B22lbo0JR22yG0uRaXk4vkCiDBV8eJvkE/s1600/Dansville%252C+Nunda%252C+landout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="809" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBCzKeKaB34F-ccVuk2L-W1I3sNZJniAmP1Ciwe6H4BM3tOe9UOkQXkYC6AKp9r_xLGTAf6Di6zIhvqsWx3c0OcfvX8FbR5goX4UW4O_Roz7B22lbo0JR22yG0uRaXk4vkCiDBV8eJvkE/s640/Dansville%252C+Nunda%252C+landout.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I let Brady do the flying at this point; I figured that the day was good enough for me to dig us out of any holes; that's probably my one good skill in cross country flying -- digging myself out of messes. Brady took a lift line that didn't look that great. We went South. Nothing. Maybe that cloud. Nothing. Maybe this field. Nothing.<br />
"OK, Brady, I'll take over. I'll dig us out. "<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRP8MoRKk3Oy2XyupF_JBpiECu2Q6me-3g3s3cXRRhcKcMUAJ105_IupzAwSfGVxX8gHlLnbh0PRcTrn3dUCbMo8BjnRnB0eHcEhPAavJtKvZZiNgFVAmLwNp2tURoVFTO1p_wGhm2RV3X/s1600/circling%252C+then+landout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="807" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRP8MoRKk3Oy2XyupF_JBpiECu2Q6me-3g3s3cXRRhcKcMUAJ105_IupzAwSfGVxX8gHlLnbh0PRcTrn3dUCbMo8BjnRnB0eHcEhPAavJtKvZZiNgFVAmLwNp2tURoVFTO1p_wGhm2RV3X/s640/circling%252C+then+landout.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Follow the black marks to see where we landed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Lots of left turns, no really usable lift anywhere. Brady and I spotted what looked to be a long field, the longest flattest field around. "If this turn doesn't work, we're landing in that field" "Which field?" That field with the one lone tree right in the middle of it. " The lift didn't work. We were landing.<br />
The KML file above doesn't really show the landing like it should; Follow the black lines to show the ground track.<br />
I set the landing approach so that we would land to the left of the lone tree in that field. I flared, held it off, waited for the wheel to touch down. That was the plan, at least. At about the time I expected the wheel to touch terra firma, the glider kept descending. It was like jumping into a swimming pool. Soon the grass was above the canopy, and the wheel still wasn't on the ground. The sound of a zillion blades of grass scraping the fuselage, wings, empennage, wheel wheel... everything... that sound was a soft rushing noise. We experienced a soft deceleration. The glider started to turn left. I had no control of what happened after that. Before I knew it, we were turned more than 90 degrees to the left in slow motion. The glider rolled down a gentle hill, backwards, about 150 degrees to the left of the original landing heading.<br />
"Well, that was unexpected" Maybe it was Brady who said that. Maybe it was me. I don't know. I winced with the mental imagery of the tail boom being busted off. Most modern gliders with that horizontal stabilizer in T-Tail configuration will get into a twisting motion when the glider is in a ground loop. If the tail wheel hits the ground while the glider is rotating, the sudden stop at the bottom, in combination with continued motion at the top, causes a twisting motion and breaks tail booms right off of the glider.<br />
I couldn't bear to look at the tail to see how things were. Eyes closed tightly, in exactly the same manner if I had cut myself on the hand and didn't want to look at the blood, I asked Brady, slowly, "Could you look at the tail boom and make sure it's still on?"<br />
"Yep, looks good!"<br />
We got out of the glider. The grass was up to my waist or my chest, depending on the spot. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the tail. Looked good. What a relief! I called the retrieve office to let them know we landed safely, where to get us, who was getting us, etc.<br />
We looked up the hill to see a bunch of kids running down to greet us, and Dad following behind them. I go straight to Dad:<br />
"Sorry I had to land in your field!"<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebgOFYDoTcYtyMljjE54hL7yZPX6eImkxzRHO7orX6MF8-ySbbkU3rAFKzvyKAZw_24gc32rG8X0x0X-iC5Gwo2oF4HugVB7egf4CZAUgBataX9Ql0zMzs0YrjSkYLNzXfEKkjF1_Q9Eq/s1600/IMG_2812.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebgOFYDoTcYtyMljjE54hL7yZPX6eImkxzRHO7orX6MF8-ySbbkU3rAFKzvyKAZw_24gc32rG8X0x0X-iC5Gwo2oF4HugVB7egf4CZAUgBataX9Ql0zMzs0YrjSkYLNzXfEKkjF1_Q9Eq/s640/IMG_2812.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safe and Sound in a field with grass that's way too tall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
"Are you all right?"<br />
"Yeah, no damage from what I can tell. We're all right."<br />
There were about 6 kids there, all excited about the 'airplane crashing in the field.' (their words, not mine).<br />
"Hey would you kids like to go sit in the glider!?"<br />
They all excitedly loudly and simultaneously screamed YEAH!<br />
"I want to sit in the front!"<br />
"Will you sit with me?!"<br />
One little girl looked at the flight computer, still on, "This is the radar that says the tornado is coming!" I got to the master switch and shut it off before any of the kids could broadcast to the whole world on 123.3 by pressing the mic switch.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA-jcyPa7YrtjazRGXnwa0qivHmxJnr7Lw0y-K86-p_nbE-u2I5pKzsj3LBooEJgG22GEQRVvFblprm-6cfTbUtbrv7Nfi934wbNWVN14FpNCgUFYgD_qEmJEtdp54dVxfSq435V4pitq/s1600/IMG_2816.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYA-jcyPa7YrtjazRGXnwa0qivHmxJnr7Lw0y-K86-p_nbE-u2I5pKzsj3LBooEJgG22GEQRVvFblprm-6cfTbUtbrv7Nfi934wbNWVN14FpNCgUFYgD_qEmJEtdp54dVxfSq435V4pitq/s640/IMG_2816.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will inform Schempp-Hirth that the pilot payload should be revised upward from 2 to 4 pilots. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since the glider was already a mess with grass jammed into all sorts of places that grass doesn't belong, I didn't really mind that the kids were pawing all over the canopy, opening and closing it, getting their greasy little fingers on everything.<br />
<br />
"How are you going to get that thing out of this field?" the father asked.<br />
"You wouldn't happen to have a tractor, would you? Do you have any rope? Maybe a chain-link?"<br />
He looked around for a suitable chain link. We hooked it up to the CG hook, and the other end to the tractor. Slowly, we towed QQ out of the tall grass.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvSTEy-CKoudKJjBw6udyyMiyvlUmOPRnweuYItYKoYkoBVVKKkeo9NWzsZUIYZx4qqkcyKkXCnj5y-CZf7KGYerW6jUVzTXTDII6gSty4_qVh-ga5SeLRNFEFwpy-vossXIS1G2sUZKN/s1600/IMG_2821.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvSTEy-CKoudKJjBw6udyyMiyvlUmOPRnweuYItYKoYkoBVVKKkeo9NWzsZUIYZx4qqkcyKkXCnj5y-CZf7KGYerW6jUVzTXTDII6gSty4_qVh-ga5SeLRNFEFwpy-vossXIS1G2sUZKN/s640/IMG_2821.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tractor pulling QQ out of the very tall grass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Chris Schrader from Michigan showed up with the QQ trailer and my pickup truck. Another neighbor came over to watch the disassembly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJMkLYjgCEq4DF7NvMmYbtQPDAlNCJ9OS72ugbnJcZdlOfrglT_KuL39Dd7Nlt5U_Ih0y_m8zX41n-8qrInjv9xD2RLsTqNllQpwYzltp1ojAUrrNDQ0PGVz_Wo20sPzudKHKvFyNOZQf/s1600/IMG_2830.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJMkLYjgCEq4DF7NvMmYbtQPDAlNCJ9OS72ugbnJcZdlOfrglT_KuL39Dd7Nlt5U_Ih0y_m8zX41n-8qrInjv9xD2RLsTqNllQpwYzltp1ojAUrrNDQ0PGVz_Wo20sPzudKHKvFyNOZQf/s640/IMG_2830.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess about 20 pounds of grass was wrapped around the landing gear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4Nja8N-0iTwt2Iv9hT9c4uJbxCghgk5yFSOob6wN3EiJhCKKTstkAk6SQOjCsg5S33N92toJO7aGYig_OcURKici4OssmgSmW6ETA-CBdpHni5xXV4ULJuPGp7KEp8EszWIA5E227Ze-/s1600/puttin-qq-away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="386" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-4Nja8N-0iTwt2Iv9hT9c4uJbxCghgk5yFSOob6wN3EiJhCKKTstkAk6SQOjCsg5S33N92toJO7aGYig_OcURKici4OssmgSmW6ETA-CBdpHni5xXV4ULJuPGp7KEp8EszWIA5E227Ze-/s320/puttin-qq-away.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As we were all driving back, Chris Schrader commented that all of the fields around look terrible. "I don't think you should be so hard on yourself for ground looping on this land-out", as he pointed to the marginal field after marginal field. All of these fields look terrible. If you landed in that field, your wings would have been broken off.<br />
Landing out is a part of flying contests. However, the game really changes when you land out on the first day of a contest, when the conditions are really great. When you are flying as a guest, and not a full competitor, and land out on the first day, you tend to fly a lot more conservatively for the rest of the contest. And I did. The weather was OK on the next day, and never really had a good day after that. Most of the days ended up with rain. Karl Striedieck went home after the good flying on Tuesday. Noah Reitter went off to represent the US Junior Soaring team in Europe. It was just me flying the juniors around.<br />
<br />
For the next few days at the contest, the local pilots would come up to me. "I heard you landed out near Swain."<br />
"Yep"<br />
"Where?! There's no place to land around there."<br />
There's that valuable local knowledge I didn't have. They were right. There were very few landing opportunities. All of the good land-out spots are on the plateaus. The valleys were swamp land, or not suitable landing locations.<br />
<h3>
Tuesday, Day 3</h3>
<div>
Tuesday was not looking like a good soaring day. There were rain showers moving through the area. I watched a rain shower approach Harris Hill as we sat on the grid. QQ was the last to take off, and as soon as we got off the end of the runway, we were towed into a rain shower. While on tow, we turned left and headed toward the clear weather. We got into a thermal, climbed to the top of that pathetic thermal, and set out on course. Josh Barber was on board. I made the first turnpoint, headed north and got low. We hadn't seen a thermal for a while. Oh no, not again. </div>
<div>
I got down to about 1200 AGL (I have a fancy flight computer that will tell me how high I am above the terrain, at any given moment) (Maybe this is information I really shouldn't have). I found the slightest breeze, and held on tight to that thermal. "Josh, start looking for a field." I rejected most of the fields he selected, but he insisted on his field of choice. "OK, I guess you're right. It's the longest one around. I really don't like the slope on it, though." All of the fields in this area have a slope. The sun broke through the overcast and was shining on this field directly above us. If we can just hang on long enough... </div>
<div>
50 feet a minute turned into 150 feet per minute. Within 15 minutes we were no longer desperate for anything, and had enough altitude to make it back to Harris Hill. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgfm3TiXQL5kMq87OYhn987d7M7Lf09ZV6GRSyuzZGYllWwodY7pxAJCroU9nB_YlJKDMf8WNF8sMrWyObQQZRwm6FwaT-onZ-mhXgGxqhDdDCX2giP3iKDm_h_9YjdH5Jwc4PgLyW6z1/s1600/digging-out-again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="512" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCgfm3TiXQL5kMq87OYhn987d7M7Lf09ZV6GRSyuzZGYllWwodY7pxAJCroU9nB_YlJKDMf8WNF8sMrWyObQQZRwm6FwaT-onZ-mhXgGxqhDdDCX2giP3iKDm_h_9YjdH5Jwc4PgLyW6z1/s400/digging-out-again.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A successful digging-out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The only problem: There was a huge shower right in between us and the airfield. We had to divert around the shower to make it back to Harris Hill. Divert enough to the north to stay away from the rain, but no so far to the north that I don't have sufficient glide to make it back to Harris Hill. Getting rain on the wings would be a disaster, the performance on those wings drops off significantly when there's rain on the wings. It would be like flying through 300 feet a minute sink the whole way back. </div>
<div>
Josh wanted us to divert to the west. We were only a few miles from the outer ring of the second turnpoint. "No way we have enough to make it to the turn area cylinder AND make it home. I'm not landing out again!" </div>
<div>
Once we got back to Harris Hill, there was a thermal that prevented us from squeaking into the pattern at minimum height. We landed uneventfully. </div>
<div>
Later that evening, we reviewed the IGC. I think the field Josh picked out would have worked OK. At least the grass was cut on that field. There might have been cows, though. </div>
<h3>
QQ Makes the News</h3>
<div>
Waiting for us on the ground was a news crew, taking video for the local TV station's <a href="https://www.weny.com/story/40797752/glider-pilots-join-at-harris-hill-for-region-3-competition?fbclid=IwAR2ojLkK4844bdlq7wQipprWhYScnV1eeuLYjXUVrnVhZ35j9vhYWZ1ox0c" target="_blank">evening news</a>. </div>
<div>
The cameras kept rolling as QQ came in for a landing. The ground crew rushed me out of the glider, so we could get out of the way of other gliders landing behind us. After we got out of the way, I waited for the ground crew to bring me the tail dolly. In the meantime, we were good background as the news crew interviewed Moe Acee. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-rcMuICNHP8X7nb7JClaIK2GPObKTZyOJD2Q_D8y-R54_6MNyzEpkcL_woYQd5SgvUb53ap83LwaZ2cqQryex64JKuGnc3Qr4AtVhOUaMMChMGyDkcvEZs06N2pGWVg3LLsp7Rm7txa3/s1600/QQ+in+the+news-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1061" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-rcMuICNHP8X7nb7JClaIK2GPObKTZyOJD2Q_D8y-R54_6MNyzEpkcL_woYQd5SgvUb53ap83LwaZ2cqQryex64JKuGnc3Qr4AtVhOUaMMChMGyDkcvEZs06N2pGWVg3LLsp7Rm7txa3/s640/QQ+in+the+news-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moe talking about energy management, Josh and I stand in front of QQ waiting for the ground crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
After the contest, I drove QQ to Gehrlein Products in Erie PA. I wanted them to give a very thorough annual inspection after that land-out. They found QQ in excellent condition. What a relief! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-56970817045301914752019-05-13T22:53:00.001-04:002019-05-13T22:53:35.710-04:0020m Multi-Seat National Day 2I might have mentioned before, that I kind of suck at competition soaring. Another day, another "DFL" -- dead freakin' last! But I'm taking it all in stride. Imagine how bored I would be with soaring if I were some sort of prodigy, able to master all aspects of soaring with one trip around the pattern!<br />
The morning briefing started with yesterday's winners Sarah Arnold and Karl Striedieck. Karl deferred to Sarah, taking only credit for the first two turnpoints. He mentioned how they dumped their water when they got very low. Indeed, the long cloud street at the end of the day is how they got their speed back up to win the day. The safety message of the day was a stress about the importance of a "hard deck", a lower limit of how low you should be willing to attempt to find lift. Once that hard deck altitude is reached, it's time to land. The lift isn't very well organized at low altitudes, and it's quite possible to have low level turbulence upset the glider, causing it to spin. With a low altitude spin, there isn't enough room to recover, and the glider crashes. "Know your personal hard deck limit, and stick with it!"<br />
Mine is about 800 feet, and I'm pretty serious about it. The LX-Nav flight computer has a nice way of finding out what the field elevation is underneath you, so there's no guesswork needed. I got to use that feature on the flight computer a few times today. More on that later.<br />
The weather forecast was excellent; but the conditions were better to the west, better to the north. The conditions were forecast to be great even until 18:00 in the day<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBJ_a_vJ3B5kWDdl1k2xpapB6X2vcP1S0FxN-4K0cVg-i4WbFgnZAA9nb0rjvKh66E76SNsrdzNUYTdcejgykDozZN-eDREOs-iCkqfon9h0VMVGd3L3pyyP9izf8mpV03gKXZgPbjAhT/s1600/day2-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="1407" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOBJ_a_vJ3B5kWDdl1k2xpapB6X2vcP1S0FxN-4K0cVg-i4WbFgnZAA9nb0rjvKh66E76SNsrdzNUYTdcejgykDozZN-eDREOs-iCkqfon9h0VMVGd3L3pyyP9izf8mpV03gKXZgPbjAhT/s400/day2-1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forecast charts for Day 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After the morning briefing, we pulled the gliders out to the runway for an 11:00 grid time. The first three places for yesterday's flying were put on the scales, to ensure that they weren't overweight. I was in the fourth position for takeoff, but because of my embarrassing showing yesterday, no need to put my glider on the scales. For the record, the maximum weight for my glider is 1543 pounds, and my back of the envelope calculations make my glider about 1515 pounds at the absolute heaviest.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacXmPfxddihyphenhyphenY-LYDrfqUzi3Ondp-E9b8HYtoME6SDZ-LwvBRptk21Yq8uNjzrIs5M6IUJ14hAXwT6ad1RuvDXqi9PSXD4uqQ-2zapBl6chcR1-wh00hsIPXTJJqiGoWlVh_3D4tab20t/s1600/IMG_2573.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacXmPfxddihyphenhyphenY-LYDrfqUzi3Ondp-E9b8HYtoME6SDZ-LwvBRptk21Yq8uNjzrIs5M6IUJ14hAXwT6ad1RuvDXqi9PSXD4uqQ-2zapBl6chcR1-wh00hsIPXTJJqiGoWlVh_3D4tab20t/s400/IMG_2573.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Remde has an odd position for programming the task into his computer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ18vx2GQ0b_iG7m7KcRVYjQF7TiAyBg1FvwTMvbPp5j4CZz4abQGDX0gtGe6JK7YgP4ySrvpGqcVmt2HTRLl8Sy9kHLfsGbX5RPwaMKmFrSb_9CXE23m3PVKED9PLw_1dP4GTyACpsVk/s1600/IMG_2576.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ18vx2GQ0b_iG7m7KcRVYjQF7TiAyBg1FvwTMvbPp5j4CZz4abQGDX0gtGe6JK7YgP4ySrvpGqcVmt2HTRLl8Sy9kHLfsGbX5RPwaMKmFrSb_9CXE23m3PVKED9PLw_1dP4GTyACpsVk/s640/IMG_2576.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
On "The Grid"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We launched and it was already excellent. You can see perfect soaring clouds over my shoulder in the above picture. Immediately off tow, I was climbing comfortably. It's gonna be great! The contest started at 12:35, and I was on task a few minutes after that.<br />
The first part of the course was easy soaring. Once we got to the first turnpoint, things started looking difficult. I slowed down and eeked out the tallest thermals at less than optimal climb. Ahead, I saw an overcast covering the ground and shutting off the surface heating. A few weak looking clouds in the distance hinted that there might be something to work with once I got there.<br />
Again, because I left early, I think I was ahead of the pack. A bunch of the more experienced pilots caught up with me as I was working some weak lift. I diverted to a thermal where three gliders were circling and appeared to be gaining altitude very quickly.<br />
By the time I made use of that thermal, they were gone. I made the second turnpoint, and things looked much more promising ahead.<br />
Things may have looked great, but this is where I really lost the day. Getting low was a terrible mistake. The line-up of clouds that I thought was a street turned out to not be a street, and I got down to about 4000', about 2500 feet above the ground. This low, I'm starting to take any sort of lift I can find; and I settle for a knot or two.<br />
I saw other gliders heading past me, bopping along in the clouds, while I'm struggling down low. The gliders that passed me were able to hang out at cloud base and keep flying at speed. I finally climbed out of the bottom of my flight, and got up to cloud base. When I got right under the clouds, it was much easier. The gliders that passed me called in for their "four miles out" while I was at mile 22 from the end of the course.<br />
When we got to the end of the task, we made it back to the airport where we started. The conditions were perfect-looking. All of the clouds were perfectly-shaped. All of the clouds to the northwest looked much better than the clouds we just flew through.<br />
<br />
Lessons learned for today:<br />
<ul>
<li>I sure do like AT more than MAT. When the CD decides what course we should fly, I can spend a lot more time trying to fly, and a lot less time trying to be creative in unfamiliar territory. </li>
<li>There were two different times that I was sharing a thermal with another glider, and instead of following him, I took an extra turn. By the time i finished that turn, he was gone. This isn't always a recipe for success (leaching on somebody), but it certainly would have been better for me today! </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's a video of my flight track:</div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" height="600" src="https://ayvri.com/embed/gdkz6erljz/cjvn78xjq00013b655dlbep92" width="800"></iframe></div>
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Now QQ is parked outside, tied down and covered against the elements. It's forecasted to rain tomorrow. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-yuWbivkwyLHKBfLildX6fV1f-pUpmenaqAOm6OQQUCY3cV3frJI7kwssLB_aVpkUOeiotX4nSd1O6pYYuUxNaxw0-Pgy0BuLtIg_fygSQAH_qcpflMZzVnyRUJ-FPwIfgEqe4FoYEPb/s1600/IMG_2584.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-yuWbivkwyLHKBfLildX6fV1f-pUpmenaqAOm6OQQUCY3cV3frJI7kwssLB_aVpkUOeiotX4nSd1O6pYYuUxNaxw0-Pgy0BuLtIg_fygSQAH_qcpflMZzVnyRUJ-FPwIfgEqe4FoYEPb/s640/IMG_2584.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-15419801735533473832019-05-12T22:13:00.000-04:002019-05-12T22:13:22.390-04:002019 20m National Contest Day 1I kinda suck at glider racing. I'll be quick to admit. I'm here at the 20 meter multi-seat nationals contest, and I'm among a group of pilots who have a lot more cross country experience than I do.<br />
I convinced two Skyline Soaring club members to come with me to Minnesota for the contest. This involved taking QQ in a trailer for 2 straight days of driving; twenty hours of driving time.<br />
Yesterday (Saturday) was the practice day. It was grey and yucky, and I didn't fly the glider. Today (Sunday), and it looked like one of the better soaring days I've seen in over a year.<br />
2018 was a terrible soaring year. I had only one or two really good soaring days among all of the practical tests I administered, and all of the rainy weekends. Maybe this year will be slightly better.<br />
The morning started off with blue skies with only a little bit of overcast. We assembled the glider and got to the grid by 11:30. I was the fifth to launch. I haven't put water in the glider very many times, so that was kind of new for me, too. Our ramp weight was somewhere around 1500 pounds.<br />
I didn't really understand that the weather was just going to get better and better as the day went on, so once the task was open, I was off on the course. The task started with a 5 mile start cylinder north of the airport. I exited the start area on the backside of the course. I made OK time north to the first turnpoint. I didn't see any gliders, so I assumed I was in the back of the pack.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dwDCI4GHqRmUmpMEJUQXgUD4e0PtNfD0ytpk96afi30eNt-oTLZ5jzelz-mlBanDuUxsRYSpN5TFXdv6y0zihKKEfvT1Jp5ZwCUnXQWh90vBhP2HBAwqF0mZAx_4Uk4P_19fMQC3m1lx/s1600/Day1-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="886" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dwDCI4GHqRmUmpMEJUQXgUD4e0PtNfD0ytpk96afi30eNt-oTLZ5jzelz-mlBanDuUxsRYSpN5TFXdv6y0zihKKEfvT1Jp5ZwCUnXQWh90vBhP2HBAwqF0mZAx_4Uk4P_19fMQC3m1lx/s400/Day1-1.png" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's me leading the pack (in yellow)</td></tr>
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I made it past the first turnpoint and still didn't see anybody. The conditions didn't look that great; the clouds were getting big and I thought that the conditions were getting slightly overdeveloped. At this point in my flight, I got to the lowest altitude, and started getting desperate for any sort of lift I could find. I found something terrible, and limped up to a better altitude. I saw the rest of the pack catch up to me at that point. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOS4VCYWkh9gA4ImTHJf8k8JoxM5Lbfzg6_O8ALvhA0BSQs2JnneaYRbBfNKPJRoNHubETCvbxgB_dahdz4slQI9m1B-4PQq11iaBO8wRuDAdM-Y9wt1-mtCTgqXpwfZuS0_AgPvBKCzb3/s1600/Day1-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="972" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOS4VCYWkh9gA4ImTHJf8k8JoxM5Lbfzg6_O8ALvhA0BSQs2JnneaYRbBfNKPJRoNHubETCvbxgB_dahdz4slQI9m1B-4PQq11iaBO8wRuDAdM-Y9wt1-mtCTgqXpwfZuS0_AgPvBKCzb3/s320/Day1-3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still ahead of everybody, but things get worse quickly</td></tr>
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After the second turnpoint, the remainder of the day was the pilot's choice. A type of task called a "MAT". The pilot chooses which turnpoints he is going to fly to. All turnpoints are 1 statute radius circles. Repeat as much as necessary to get the minimum time in the air. Today's minimum time was 3 hours. </div>
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I was rather overwhelmed with the task of finding new waypoints. I also struggled with the flight computer, coming up with turnpoints that seemed OK, given the current conditions. I thought the conditions to the north looked terrible, and it seemed to me that there were better-looking clouds to the southeast. </div>
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We went south, and just kept going east to Austin MN. I kept going upwind, east. The conditions were getting much better now. Anywhere I went, the thermals were at least 4 knots, and sometimes as strong as seven knots. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBkWRHhasbickCAxmSMtTxZRWvjtu1Y6PLCNyLUEZBh8ldx5Jo09iq-Y4i7Y_R_YlcngO77Cqzo43FgbHBBPEnN4cUsM8OvgyLQ9lXarGiiH2bv0G97eF0ODdCPMor3UyzmAm5LcRxoRM/s1600/Day1-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1203" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBkWRHhasbickCAxmSMtTxZRWvjtu1Y6PLCNyLUEZBh8ldx5Jo09iq-Y4i7Y_R_YlcngO77Cqzo43FgbHBBPEnN4cUsM8OvgyLQ9lXarGiiH2bv0G97eF0ODdCPMor3UyzmAm5LcRxoRM/s320/Day1-4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Way out to the east, all by myself</td></tr>
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I had a nice tailwind on the way home. I was the first to get back from the task. </div>
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After dinner, the scores came in, and I'm not surprised, but also disappointed. Seventh place out of seven. Well of eight contestants. The eighth guy hasn't started yet. Well... at least I'm in the top ten?!</div>
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Areas where I feel I could use some improvement: </div>
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<ul>
<li>I really suck at MAT tasks, and I need to get better at this. </li>
<li>I'm not very good at figuring out which turnpoints are best to go to on a MAT day. </li>
<li>I need to do a better job of flying faster when I've got water ballast. </li>
<li>I need to spend more time cloud-streeting, if possible. The winner for the day had one point where he had an average L/D of 159; and I never approached anything higher then 60. (He was flying under clouds and didn't have to turn). </li>
<li>I shouldn't be impatient about starting. There is a lot of strategy for choosing the best time to start, and I've never paid much attention to that. </li>
<li>I should be more impatient with thermals that aren't giving me what I need; especially when I'm high and don't really need the lift. </li>
<li>I should understand that the minimum time doesn't mean that the task has to be that time. if there are opportunities for flying fast later in the day, then I should take those opportunities to increase average speed. </li>
<li>I need to make sure that the water in my Camel back doesn't come from a hose, because that water tasted disgusting. </li>
<li>Use <a href="http://skysight.io/">Skysight.io</a> more often and make better use of the subscription that I've paid for. </li>
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Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-86001316234622752172019-01-07T16:53:00.001-05:002019-01-07T21:23:59.480-05:00Wave Soaring January 20192018 was a terrible soaring year. Washington, DC recorded <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2018/12/15/drenched-city-is-now-washingtons-wettest-year-ever-recorded/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.57322c59586f">more rain</a> than any other year in history. It seemed that every weekend was rainy and stormy, or cloudy and miserable. For the most part, QQ sat in her trailer for the 2018 flying season.<br />
Hopefully 2019 will be a better flying season. This past weekend was hopefully a signal that things are getting better. Skyline Soaring Club put together an ad-hoc operation to fly on the 7th of January 2019, and it turned out to be a great soaring day. It was not always obvious that it was going to be a great soaring day. Many of the sources of information that I use for soaring forecasts were disabled due to the latest Federal Government funding crisis. The NOAA's <a href="http://rucsoundings.noaa.gov/gwt/?data_source=Op40&airport=KFRR&gwt=HTML5%20plot&hydrometeors=false&start=latest">rucsoundings website</a> showed me this apologetic message:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmCaFLaFtmSDjGcCPSEzF26aJGVxPWPR1lTyHrVPY6UhmlHHPtTNZS8Z56E6WaBTzH0mZkeL9H_jZl6X_gUzlcb63AmFFKX69_Q-tzUQ3epLKIYkJyvMxB2ddw1mxthqRLQtZEkPlTOLH/s1600/2019-01-NOAA-Shutdown.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmCaFLaFtmSDjGcCPSEzF26aJGVxPWPR1lTyHrVPY6UhmlHHPtTNZS8Z56E6WaBTzH0mZkeL9H_jZl6X_gUzlcb63AmFFKX69_Q-tzUQ3epLKIYkJyvMxB2ddw1mxthqRLQtZEkPlTOLH/s320/2019-01-NOAA-Shutdown.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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Normally, I view the NOAA's rucsoundings webpage to see if the following conditions are being forecasted for the day:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Wind strength at about 15+ knots at 2000-3000 feet. </li>
<li>Wind direction around 315 (ideal), or 270 (very marginal), or 350 (very marginal)</li>
<li>Temperature inversion starting somewhere around mountaintop height or lower</li>
<li>Temperature inversion ends at a very high altitude; anything about 18,000 is not that important. </li>
</ul>
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As we did our morning briefing, I asked if anybody wanted to be a passenger for flying in QQ, and Pete Maynard raised his hand immediately. We assembled QQ, installed the oxygen bottles (which I normally don't have installed during the summer months), installed the oxygen systems, put on my electric socks and all of my warm clothes, and I installed my male external catheter, just in case. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QQ is assembled and ready to go</td></tr>
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Our towpilot asked where we wanted to go. I responded that we wanted to go to Signal Knob, at or around 3000 feet above airport elevation. The flight computer did not report any winds, but corrected once we made a few turns. Either the flight computer was narrowing in on accuracy for the winds, or the winds weren't that strong yet. For the first 30 minutes of the flight there was lift, but it was turbulent, spotty, and erratic. </div>
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Instead of immediately heading off to fly low and fast on the ridge, I wanted to connect with the wave. Earlier sightings of the scrappy clouds we recognize as rotor clouds were proof enough to me that the wave was somewhere out there. Pete and I were jostled around for 30 minutes in moderate to severe turbulence, grinding back and forth in front of the Massanutten mountain just south of Strasburg, VA. There were a few moments where I was sure we had made it into the wave, only to be thwarted with a downdraft erasing all of my temporary gains. There were brief moments when I had full control deflection, and the glider didn't respond to the aileron control inputs. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grinding along the ridge, hoping to get into something that gets us up into wave</td></tr>
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I gave up after 30 minutes of attempting to connect with the wave. Without anybody to tell us that the ridge was reliable, and a flight computer indicating that the winds were only about 8 knots, I set course to fly along the ridge top anyway. On some days, this is a bigger gamble than others. Sometimes the wind is not strong enough to keep the glider from descending. I took the calculated risk, understanding that there are plenty of fields to land in if it didn't work out. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2p8kGTkaPo">I've done it before! </a></div>
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Good news! At about 500 feet above the mountaintops, I could maintain 80 knots of airspeed without descending. Past experience with these ridges on days like this told me that if the wave wasn't achievable in Strasburg, then there was going to be a better chance above <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Mountain_(Virginia)">Short Mountain</a>. Short Mountain is a 7 mile long ridge which is the mountain between Edinburg and Mount Jackson, VA. It is slightly upwind of the rest of the Massanutten mountain chain. There are days when the only way to get into the wave is from Short Mountain. </div>
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Doing the quick jaunt south was definitely the right choice. Once we made the short upwind jump, the bone-jarring turbulence was gone, now reduced to mild annoying bumps. I performed figure eight patterns on the upwind side of Short Mountain, and attempted to drive upwind into the wave at around 6500 feet MSL. </div>
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At 6700 feet MSL, the mild annoying bumps turned into the most smooth air that could ever be described. Once making that transition, words really fail to describe the joy of achieving that smooth air with strong steady lift. It was after we got into the wave that we put on the oxygen masks and started taking pictures.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing at 600 feet per minute over Edinburg, VA</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNHaw-7oXbnkTKwGuiu1XIaocuIAoSqIqxkhGsRZj-raxujk3dfDJuMQLNEoSypLNxMPob1iOtlxIeD3QB_viOOLkTAG14ejL3kP_jF1dh4EzfFjmHTY97L77zJpnx1L5-EyvJtOmGDvy/s1600/IMG_2195.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNHaw-7oXbnkTKwGuiu1XIaocuIAoSqIqxkhGsRZj-raxujk3dfDJuMQLNEoSypLNxMPob1iOtlxIeD3QB_viOOLkTAG14ejL3kP_jF1dh4EzfFjmHTY97L77zJpnx1L5-EyvJtOmGDvy/s400/IMG_2195.HEIC" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Piet in wave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since I brought along the oxygen, this was a good time to put on the mask and to see just how high the wave lift will take us. </div>
<div>
Soapbox: The FAA mandates that oxygen mask usage must begin at 12,500 feet, but as a personal rule, I will start using oxygen at around 9000 to 10,000 feet. I have the oxygen system, it is extremely cheap to replace the air in the tank, there is no good reason to have a macho attitude about how high I can go without needing the oxygen. The brain loses its function with oxygen deprivation. Unfortunately, the brain is the only device that detects if is losing its function. An oxygen-deprived pilot will get stupider and not even realize it. Check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN3W4d-5RPo">this video</a> of an airman in a hypobaric chamber: the airman is trying to read out loud the cards in a deck with hilarious results in a controlled environment. If I were to exhibit the same results while performing the duties of a pilot, the results would not be nearly as comical. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3YvBjC8JsIdeDC5Dv-SdKhRnTOozguD2RAKWhQPGEItHKemnC3encC9YXgbEdkNovySFJiq5wfo80Gnk_-COcN0_jlutAr6Ag5UEmem3QEl-z4uDf2hhRfVLd5QXhAEloFcoEw48NedN/s1600/IMG_2223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3YvBjC8JsIdeDC5Dv-SdKhRnTOozguD2RAKWhQPGEItHKemnC3encC9YXgbEdkNovySFJiq5wfo80Gnk_-COcN0_jlutAr6Ag5UEmem3QEl-z4uDf2hhRfVLd5QXhAEloFcoEw48NedN/s400/IMG_2223.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete in front, Piet in back. That's not confusing at all</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
On the way up, I occasionally took some photographs to document the victory. The rate of climb was steady at around 400 feet of climb every minute. We topped out this first climb at 12,000 feet. The winds were significantly stronger at this altitude. The flight computer indicated that winds were still from the northwest, but now at 51 knots. During our climb to 12,000 feet, the flight computer would occasionally show our ground speed as completely canceled out by the wind. If I slowed down a little bit more, the glider would be flying backwards into the wind, which the flight computer was nice enough to show as a negative ground speed. </div>
<div>
Once we topped out at 12,000 feet, I decided to head south to get some OLC points. I wanted to get to Harrisonburg, VA, but was willing to see what kind of lift we could find along the way. We contacted some strong smooth wave lift that took us to the highest altitude of 14,800 feet. From this altitude, the lift got weaker, and hanging out here would not get us to cover any ground. I turned south again. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGfYKRvMUkrnhezrjPlyn_7CIiZRLOivKh5ddjii26ecLgHVhyyVLCC7_3A4t-1KnBDgle6YjhkpeIorVnkan3Q-17AaxmVwuVfhe4GlK-7JM3TzNUGJXmVPZgJaE8xeMZhnmi4WhnjVc/s1600/IMG_2211-PANO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="1600" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGfYKRvMUkrnhezrjPlyn_7CIiZRLOivKh5ddjii26ecLgHVhyyVLCC7_3A4t-1KnBDgle6YjhkpeIorVnkan3Q-17AaxmVwuVfhe4GlK-7JM3TzNUGJXmVPZgJaE8xeMZhnmi4WhnjVc/s640/IMG_2211-PANO.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Winchester to the northeast of our position</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
With a right crosswind and good airspeed, we were occasionally flying along with a groundspeed of over 110 knots. While cruising along in the wave, it is important to stay in the updraft, stay out of the downdraft, and more-or-less maintain heading. Also the wave changes position, due to shifting winds, varying geography below, and just plain luck. The key to flying like this is to make small course corrections. When the lift disappears, make large course corrections; sometimes by 90 degrees into the wind. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgghLnAo0vvpdxISel_BcPLy6dXiFr5PZI-9tnKOO0UbG4voweQOqv5BiZ3oYUR4Y1rxL6piAqf8I-zpwkl83DkVahlV3LRxOittsv0GIM0jtKaL8TH5c9C-A9RXALbu7FMx4_mo9pjAK/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1136" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgghLnAo0vvpdxISel_BcPLy6dXiFr5PZI-9tnKOO0UbG4voweQOqv5BiZ3oYUR4Y1rxL6piAqf8I-zpwkl83DkVahlV3LRxOittsv0GIM0jtKaL8TH5c9C-A9RXALbu7FMx4_mo9pjAK/s640/IMG_2225.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several of the skiing trails were opened up at the Massanutten ski resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
We turned around near the Massanutten ski resort, and headed to the north. As we headed north, I tried to get the glider slightly further to the west, hoping that the wave lift would be stronger. We bopped along with occasional course corrections to stay with the lift, and eventually made it to the West Virginia border. Our most northerly position was at the border of Virginia and West Virginia. </div>
<div>
We could have flown for much longer, but the daylight was starting to run out. By 15:30, I started thinking of returning to Front Royal with enough time that we would put the plane away with daylight remaining. It really is a burden to disassemble a glider in the dark. QQ is not legal to fly after sunset at 17:08. After one last climb over the Alleghenies, we did a final downwind dash with 50 knots on the airspeed indicator, but 110 knots on the groundspeed. By 15:55 we were over Front Royal at 10,000 feet. I downdraft from the wave, and we descended in that air at about 500 feet per minute. We were on the ground by 16:09. Sunset was 17:08. </div>
<br />
Ayvri.com has a <a href="https://ayvri.com/scene/gdkz6erljz/cjqlrxnry00013a64a0zkdy4j?fbclid=IwAR0MKlzpsdTO3SQjk0qoP7pDyIJNhCiDZ_QyNOXhhhaFMGwQfin5HFGZjq8" target="_blank">pretty animated graphic</a> of our journey.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm4Z54wdsHhLYAMk_PtLG6K2s5OeJKeCOnV6xVO75pDHz6OF-NB4XLwmuWxVpkdQq_0nrHmbaPXSngXZ8Y_018YWVSsywAnXKraA7yMDfjkeE1kanZkG1peO5THz4A4QHB1zc-ZKq0uqL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-07+at+4.46.44+PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm4Z54wdsHhLYAMk_PtLG6K2s5OeJKeCOnV6xVO75pDHz6OF-NB4XLwmuWxVpkdQq_0nrHmbaPXSngXZ8Y_018YWVSsywAnXKraA7yMDfjkeE1kanZkG1peO5THz4A4QHB1zc-ZKq0uqL/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-01-07+at+4.46.44+PM.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Soaringlab.eu has a <a href="https://www.soaringlab.eu/viewer.php?flightnr=12511" target="_blank">lovely replay of our flight</a>, too.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEfGrmCsEdGOdC8J0vdkO4FyxjjRY3qZoPDwcRvYxyyZ1FNcVBFUc-3Q5Al-3bDqWHzH_SPCUtCqYvIub4qOLoxIQcLbfuk2kxDaDRXCbIuHJVHmQfc8lRXHy_NyEi7MhAuBfaGYYSRiO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-07+at+4.47.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEfGrmCsEdGOdC8J0vdkO4FyxjjRY3qZoPDwcRvYxyyZ1FNcVBFUc-3Q5Al-3bDqWHzH_SPCUtCqYvIub4qOLoxIQcLbfuk2kxDaDRXCbIuHJVHmQfc8lRXHy_NyEi7MhAuBfaGYYSRiO/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-01-07+at+4.47.42+PM.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
Of all the glider flights in the United States, ours was the one <a href="https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/index.html?st=olc&rt=olc&c=US&sc=4" target="_blank">with the most points</a> (from what I can tell).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbHokrwQMhZ7q8iUeWqtFD1olNjD4pYPuV_EcBEg78hUI0MzYXhMD2f1oJO15iCJ90pI2ez35BChxCqQURJBo1RzJWe_6-ACA9ffefSKRuLAWh44QTW5CORRDrMrU9f5EccqLAJVf5krM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-01-07+at+4.51.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbHokrwQMhZ7q8iUeWqtFD1olNjD4pYPuV_EcBEg78hUI0MzYXhMD2f1oJO15iCJ90pI2ez35BChxCqQURJBo1RzJWe_6-ACA9ffefSKRuLAWh44QTW5CORRDrMrU9f5EccqLAJVf5krM/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-01-07+at+4.51.30+PM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
This may sound impressive, but in reality this isn't such a big deal because there normally isn't much glider flying in the US on January 6th.<br />
<br />
Here's the flight with the IGC trace:<br />
<a href="https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=6984465">https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=6984465</a><br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
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<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-8065045011508429432018-07-04T13:57:00.001-04:002018-07-04T13:57:15.495-04:00From Piet's Soaring Library -- July<h3>
The Soaring Flight Manual</h3>
I grew up in Arlington, Virginia. Both of my parents worked at the Library of Congress across the river in Washington DC. My father had a massive collection of books, mostly religious books, but a few interesting military history books. Visitors would always marvel about how our small apartment in Arlington could manage to hold so many books. Zillions of them!<br />
Books never had the same appeal to me as they did for my parents. Despite this, I still have managed to collect a library of books for at least one subject -- soaring. In my 30 years of soaring, I seem to have managed a small library that most of you have never heard about. I will share with you a review of each of these books in each monthly newsletter of Skylines.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmzS3kB3qZev7pi_8A6UfFMFXTivbPPVwTK-KJO_CtE9gGFCXjW6ri7UrSybhhsY5a0oP48M939Lf25oLgTKGHKrUvs-JfETM7FZMnScvDShXL2bDj-FobUyV4_OpWuFflcpYbPkOqSsi/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1143" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmzS3kB3qZev7pi_8A6UfFMFXTivbPPVwTK-KJO_CtE9gGFCXjW6ri7UrSybhhsY5a0oP48M939Lf25oLgTKGHKrUvs-JfETM7FZMnScvDShXL2bDj-FobUyV4_OpWuFflcpYbPkOqSsi/s320/Image.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaring Flight Manual, 1995 edition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This month's book from my Soaring Library will be the first book that I have ever owned about soaring: <u>The Soaring Flight Manual</u>. I have owned two editions; one from 1984, and one from 1995. This book review will be from the 1995 edition. You can not find this book in stores, but you might be able to find a used copy on Amazon's used books. The final copy of the Soaring Flight Manual in 1995.<br />
<br />
Up until that date, this was the book that all of my flight instructors recommended that I purchase and study to prepare for the private pilot license. In 1986, that book was the standard for the knowledge required for the practical and knowledge tests. After the book finished its publishing run, it still continued to be the go-to reference manual for all that your Soaring Pilot in the US could need to know. As the years went on, soaring pilots needing a soaring book found it increasingly difficult to get a copy of the Soaring Flight Manual. There were no more in stock! The FAA Glider Flying Handbook had not yet been published until 2003.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldDXmXf114WK9qBmftDslbgYSbmPCyG1E0u8Jw-3FQYqFm2-wkmSNbTvznWnSjafd0n_t0mZGDbF_W2aopz6CsO3WNgRJTP_RYIj2cTlesFU7rD8VOJ2ky8Phms4JpflojO71oVusLA-v/s1600/Image+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldDXmXf114WK9qBmftDslbgYSbmPCyG1E0u8Jw-3FQYqFm2-wkmSNbTvznWnSjafd0n_t0mZGDbF_W2aopz6CsO3WNgRJTP_RYIj2cTlesFU7rD8VOJ2ky8Phms4JpflojO71oVusLA-v/s320/Image+%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you need to know how to use a barograph...</td></tr>
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For many aspects of soaring, this book has been left behind with the progress of soaring as a sport. <br />
Throughout this book's pages you can find references to how to use a barograph (this is how we recorded altitude gains before GPS), how to use the original E6B flight computer (which is basically a slide rule for doing calculations in flight), and what a pilot must do when approaching TCA airspace (found in the 1984 version of the SFM). The graybeards of this club will find these subjects familiar and comforting. The rest of us might see it as a history lesson of how soaring used to be.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLzuTAn9XoHyLbvZzNBwRNEFxET9Vai4o5evKobDvIyFGG_6lz0EAsHbLMBHgSKSWy3QTtzPvdw3aQUgTIUvAmU_ihKlnd1sUxemxU1dNt34uNaZlJr6DRVUky_XV2syagCukAqfJnTvE/s1600/Image+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1161" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLzuTAn9XoHyLbvZzNBwRNEFxET9Vai4o5evKobDvIyFGG_6lz0EAsHbLMBHgSKSWy3QTtzPvdw3aQUgTIUvAmU_ihKlnd1sUxemxU1dNt34uNaZlJr6DRVUky_XV2syagCukAqfJnTvE/s320/Image+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you ever need to know how to navigate<br />with an E-6B flight "computer"...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Despite this book being out of print for more than 23 years, the FAA still references this book as the official reference material of the private pilot practical test standards. The FAA's practical test standards were also from the last century, having been last updated in 1999. If you are horrified about the antiquity of the standard to which we test our private pilots, rest assured that the FAA is updating all of the Practical Test Standards. The Practical Test Standards will be replaced and renamed as the Airmen Certification Standards (ACS). Private Pilot Airplane Single Engine land was the first rating to require the ACS. The FAA is creating a new ACS every few months. When the ACS for glider eventually gets published, it will probably reference the 2013 FAA Glider Flying Handbook instead of the Soaring Flight Manual.<br />
<br />
As long as we are not focusing on the technology of navigation or flight records, not much has changed in soaring. With regard to the stick and rudder aspect of soaring, those things haven't changed. The pictures in this book show the appropriate position on tow, with the tow plane's approximate position on the horizon. A side slip is still used for strong crosswinds. You still need to do a pre-flight inspection on your glider before taking off, and you still have to be careful about weather.<br />
<br />
Read this book if you want to...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Get a historical perspective of how soaring as a sport was done more than 20 years ago</li>
<li>Understand why a lot of the greybeards say the weird things they say</li>
<li>Want to understand how to use an E-6B whizzy-wheel flight computer</li>
<li>Learn how to use an old school barograph for making badge flights in the 1980s and 1990s. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Piet would NOT recommend this book for...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Candidates studying for the practical test for any rating, even though it is listed as a reference in the current Practical Test Standards</li>
<li>Pilots who are on a budget, and can't afford books that don't immediately help them</li>
<li>Pilots who don't have any more shelf space for soaring books</li>
</ul>
<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-20028578403450431272018-05-16T08:55:00.000-04:002018-05-16T08:55:15.757-04:00Mifflin 20 Meter Multi-Seat Nationals Contest Day 1<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">
JP Stewart and I are a team at the first 20 meter multi seat national glider competition. I arrived on Sunday to very stormy weather. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">
The practice day was cancelled due to rainy weather. The first day was cancelled due to no lift, and an incoming thunderstorm. We had the chance to test out the water ballast system for QQ, calculating how much water we could put in it. Even though a few gliders launched on Monday, was threatened by incoming thunderstorms. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Tuesday came and looked bad, but better than Monday. The task was assigned, and the fleet launched at 12:45. JP and i climbed in strong thermals following Karl Striedieck briefly. We left the start cylinder on our own at the first opportunity. We cruised under cloud streets to get to the first turnpoint. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBpEqFI9iDiDzaB-hlkr0PTvq_DX73Ky3Cj796LOEbEbL9PAh_bCse2vEqsuHaj_46my51JbtomHV_e4YAN1qF0xVdpYXoojg4WpBz-nlcdDPmVwag1IHAkr4nXkRPK1I6FROdytfPY5k/s1600/IMG_1402.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBpEqFI9iDiDzaB-hlkr0PTvq_DX73Ky3Cj796LOEbEbL9PAh_bCse2vEqsuHaj_46my51JbtomHV_e4YAN1qF0xVdpYXoojg4WpBz-nlcdDPmVwag1IHAkr4nXkRPK1I6FROdytfPY5k/s640/IMG_1402.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the crowd lined up behind us. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small;">
In a matter of moments, the 4 knot thermals disappeared and were replaced by huge dark angry clouds rapidly approaching. After circling with two other gliders, we gave up, and had a landing strip picked out. The two other gliders were motor gliders. Those guys popped out their engines, and motored home. Since QQ is a pure glider, we landed at a private grass strip called <a href="https://www.airnav.com/airport/PS06">Snook</a>. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moments after the land-out, looking toward the angry weather</td></tr>
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After landing, JP went to look for the owner while I stayed with QQ. The rain started, accompanied with gusty winds. I got into the glider to keep it from blowing away. JP found a local resident who was watching the incoming storm on his radar, saw us land at the airstrip, and drove over to see if he could help. The best way he could help us out would to be to block the wind a little bit. I asked him to put his car in front of QQ's left wing to block it from the incoming wind, make it less tempted to fly away with a good gust. JP put some tires on the lower wing. I stayed in the cockpit with the parachute on and the belts strapped, just in case all of our measures didn't keep the glider from flying away. JP stayed in the car, dry. </div>
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The rain came at its strongest at that point. A little bit of hail... Maybe pea sized. The whole time I was wondering if the hail was going to get bigger and start smashing the canopy. I was also wondering why I chose this sport. I kept left rudder and left stick and forward stick, and I popped out the spoilers when the gusts got stronger. </div>
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The storm passed after what seemed like forever in that cockpit. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the storm passed, I got this picture. </td></tr>
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Frank Banas showed up with my pickup and the QQ trailer to retrieve us. What a sight for sore eyes!</div>
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We scored pretty well, because everybody else landed out, too. Believe it or not, if Tuesday's scoring counts (which isn't likely, since only one team made it around the course) we could be in fifth place. I'm ready to do it all again today! Unfortunately, the rest of the week looks like terrible weather. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cdB_n9-zP_-bdOxZPCTzPB5kcQbzy7JtB3o-gYg5hQeotT2rn8iYiKgrMQHxSS9nfLiV-c4e6DgKk3Le9s31fycHc8sAQCyNdbdjDy8EOaGRJQHH2jsv5b541-49mXw4I5bnjVslTtPh/s1600/IMG_1420.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="1600" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4cdB_n9-zP_-bdOxZPCTzPB5kcQbzy7JtB3o-gYg5hQeotT2rn8iYiKgrMQHxSS9nfLiV-c4e6DgKk3Le9s31fycHc8sAQCyNdbdjDy8EOaGRJQHH2jsv5b541-49mXw4I5bnjVslTtPh/s640/IMG_1420.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panorama shot of the landout field, with me standing proudly</td></tr>
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Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-24211011211806740972018-02-04T10:48:00.002-05:002018-02-04T10:48:30.328-05:00Three Currency Flights<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="238" src="https://embed.doarama.com/embed?k=65bMbwe" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The FAA says I have to do three takeoffs and landings every 90 days, at least I have to do that if I want to give flight instruction or take passengers. It's been 92 days since my last 3 flights, so I took QQ out to Petersburg, WV for some quick flights around the patch to get that currency requirement all sorted out.</div>
Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-13234128925646374992017-10-26T10:36:00.000-04:002017-10-26T10:36:06.995-04:00360 View of a Winch LaunchI recently had some friends from out of town who wanted to see a winch launch.<br />
So I took QQ out to Petersburg, WV and did 5 winch launches with them that day. I hooked up the 360fly camera to view the back seat passenger during the launch. Check this out!<br />
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<div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/pietbarber/videos/10214883458421988/" data-width="700" data-show-text="false"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/pietbarber/videos/10214883458421988/" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pietbarber/videos/10214883458421988/">Winch Launch at Petersburg, WV</a><p>1st Winch Launch with Scott Fairfield over Petersburg, WV. Be sure to scroll around so you can see Scott's face on launch!</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pietbarber">Piet Barber</a> on Wednesday, October 25, 2017</blockquote></div>
The soaring weather was awful, but at least it was smooth for the passengers. Of those 5 flights, I think my longest flight was 17 minutes.
Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-70918323031739959592017-07-31T17:47:00.003-04:002017-07-31T17:47:45.017-04:00Skyline Soaring Week of TrainingIn March of 2017, I spent a week at Petersburg, West Virginia. I camped outside, brought along my glider in the hopes that the week would allow for some excellent soaring. I would be able to get my climb to 22,000 feet again, and finally get that Diamond Altitude Badge.<br />
The weather wasn't any good for soaring that week. It rained just about every day. But during that time there, we got to watch the way that Shenandoah Valley Soaring's club does their glider operations, and I got an idea.<br />
I watched SVS use the very large runway at Grant County Airport (W99). They would launch the gliders at the first third of the runway. There would be plenty of room for the gliders to take off and climb out safely. The glider could come back to the airport and land on the first third of the runway. Then, the tow plane could land on the adjacent grass portion of the airport, taxi onto the runway where the glider was waiting. The ground crew can hook up the tow line to the glider, raise the wing, and launch a second flight. What a magnificent set up they have at Petersburg! Watching their streamlined operations got me thinking about how we do business at Front Royal.<br />
The runway at Petersburg is about a mile long; while the runway at Front Royal is 3000 feet long. There is a taxiway about 2/3rds down the runway. We have gotten used to landing the gliders, rolling for a quarter mile and coming to a stop at the taxiway. The student and instructor must then get out of the glider, push the glider off of the runway. A tow car must show up. The glider has to be attached to a rope. The glider and tow car walk 1670 feet -- that's a third of a mile -- to return the glider back to a point where another flight can be made. It takes another 3 minutes to push out the glider to the start point, hook it up and launch. While we're doing flight instruction at Front Royal, it is extremely difficult to get a second flight launched within 10 minutes. All of the factors have to be perfect. At Petersburg, SVS looked like they could get the whole launch done in 2 minutes.<br />
Ten minutes per flight is a huge opportunity cost. Those ten minutes could be spent flying. At Front Royal, one of our two seat trainers has done as many as 14 flights per day. Added up over a day's worth of flying, those 10 minutes cost us 140 minutes of time that the glider could be flying. That's 2.3 hours!<br />
Those of us who were sitting on the ground in Petersburg wondered out loud if we could do our week of training at Grant County Airport instead of at Front Royal. I hatched a plan, and called it "Audacious WoT Proposal", and the wheels started turning.<br />
Eventually, we got enough volunteers to agree to tow and instruct for the Week of Training. Both tow planes, both trainers and enough students migrated out to Grant County Airport by Sunday evening. Larry Stahl granted use of his hangar for storing the gliders and one of our tow planes for the week. We started with 9 students, 3 instructors, and 3 tow pilots.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the students who soloed<br />(and the instructors who signed them off)</td></tr>
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The operations worked out brilliantly. On our first day of operations, we performed 39 flights. The time between the first takeoff and last landing was only 7 hours and 22 minutes. Our second day of operations ran very smoothly. We flew for only 6 hours, but managed to get 41 flights in during that time. Wednesday had 45 flights, and Thursday topped out at 51 flights! <br />
All of the students showed tremendous progress during the week. By the end of the week, we had soloed 6 club members. Four of these members had soled for the first time.<br />
I am incredibly pleased about how well this week of training worked out. Since we started electronic record keeping in 2005, we've kept track of the number of flights per day. In those 12 years, four of our top ten operations per day were during this year's week of training.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of the participants in 2017 Week of Training</td></tr>
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I hope that all of the members who participated this year were as excited as I was to plan the event. I hope that next year we can get more students to participate. I also would really like to have four active instructors for the entire week. Pete Maynard and I kept very detailed notes about the things that could have gone more smoothly next year, and I hope Larry Stahl will allow us the use of his hangar, next year, too.Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-57079771067279633222017-05-30T16:04:00.001-04:002017-05-30T16:04:13.555-04:00Running the Pennsylvania Ragnar RelayThis weekend, I'll be one of the runners for the Pennsylvania Ragnar Relay.<br />
My first leg will be 6 miles in <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/vqApFmW7ad22" target="_blank">Gap, Pennsylvania</a>.<br />
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The second leg will be <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/XMcE8e9r45E2" target="_blank">3.5 easy miles</a>, starting in Leesport, PA; ending in the Blue Marsh Lake Visitor's Center.<br />
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The third leg was originally supposed to be 3.9 easy miles, but got changed to <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/mexpyBiW8w72" target="_blank">5.3 moderate miles</a>, with a good portion of it downhill.<br />
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I've been doing a lot of running this year. Every day so far, I've managed to make at least a mile's run.<br />
However, I've not been doing much distance. This Ragnar Relay challenge will certainly be a challenge for me!<br />
<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-28969544138008265632017-03-13T14:28:00.002-04:002017-03-15T12:29:15.086-04:00Winch Training at Eastern Soaring Center<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
Recently, a commercial gliding operation has opened up within a [relatively] short driving distance from home.<br />
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<a href="https://www.easternsoaringcenter.com/" target="_blank">Eastern Soaring Center</a> has opened for business. They offer a dedicated environment to help students work on all of the fundamentals of soaring, except for aerotowing.<br />
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This operation is run by Brian Collins. Brian is retired Air Force. He has been flying gliders since his days at the Air Force Academy. He has been giving glider instruction at many different glider clubs across the US, including the Civil Air Patrol encampments in Mattoon Illinois. In 2013, Brian was also the first or second US citizen to get the 1250 kilometer distance flight badge.<br />
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I made an appointment to get my winch launch certification. I've never done a winch launch before, and I've never seen a winch operation in action before. Back in the old days, most glider pilots had the words "Glider - Aero Tow Only" printed on their pilots certificate. In 1997 this certification was obsoleted. Since 1997, all you need is a logbook endorsement for any of the launch methods: Aero-tow, winch, or self-launch.<br />
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For all of the 1800 glider flights I've done in the past, it's been on the end of a 200 foot rope connected to an airplane with a strong enough engine. The acceleration on takeoff is slower than the acceleration you'd experience in a car merging into traffic on a freeway. Once the glider has enough airspeed, the glider gets airborne usually just before the tow plane starts to climb. The tow plane and glider climb to release altitude, where the glider pulls a release knob, and lets the tow plane go. This usually takes about 6 minutes to climb to 3000 feet.<br />
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In contrast, a winch is a power plant that stays on the ground. Hook up a 300 horsepower engine to a spool of 5000 feet of cable on one end. Hook up the glider on the other end. When the glider is ready, gun the engine. The majority of that 300 horsepower is dedicated to the glider's acceleration. Within 1 to 2 seconds, the glider is off the ground. Within 40 seconds, the glider has climbed to its highest point, and released to start its free-flight.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Eastern Soaring Center's Winch. The pickup truck is a mass anchor that helps keep the winch in position.</td></tr>
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When launching with the winch, the acceleration is really hard to describe. The closest thing I can use to describe the acceleration is when sitting in a Tesla that is accelerating in ludicrous speed mode. After the slack is taken out, the winch's engine RPM is gunned to maximum. The glider has accelerated to flying speed within 1 to 2 seconds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPCTyvRISogOSd6kHTva0nIkuYMWruXZ9teyZXHNRai88gdAfPcConqMQFobGWfv30rbIlbzFlrkc1sf_oBtCjxCt7So-636Odfk8ns4ST59yaZrrWuHAKHFpGH_PIG4ABDigejICfM4G/s1600/_DSC_0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPCTyvRISogOSd6kHTva0nIkuYMWruXZ9teyZXHNRai88gdAfPcConqMQFobGWfv30rbIlbzFlrkc1sf_oBtCjxCt7So-636Odfk8ns4ST59yaZrrWuHAKHFpGH_PIG4ABDigejICfM4G/s400/_DSC_0054.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Eastern Soaring Center's Twin Lark climbs out on a winch launch</td></tr>
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The next 2 to 5 seconds, the glider increases its climb angle. Not too quickly, and not too slowly. Too quick of a increase in pitch, and the glider risks having an acceleration stall and crashing into the ground. Too slow of an increase in pitch and the glider doesn't climb as well.<br />
This critical phase of the launch is also when a break of the rope could be disastrous. If the rope breaks, the pilot must <i>immediately</i> recognize it and <i>immediately</i> lower the nose well below the horizon. We practiced this emergency release several times at varying altitudes. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkDSfuxJAmc" target="_blank">Here's a video</a> of one such break, from the Netherlands.<br />
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In the United States, a winch launch is a relatively rare procedure. This is much more common launch method in Europe. The British Gliding Association recently had a safety initiative to improve the safety record of winch launching. After their initiative (<a href="https://members.gliding.co.uk/bga-safety-management/safe-winching/" target="_blank">Safe Winch Launching at the BGA's website</a>) the accident rate dropped significantly. The safety record of winch launching has improved to a lower accident rate than what is seen with the aerotow launch method.<br />
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One of the best advantages of the winch is the lower operating cost. With an aerotow, all of the glider pilots who use the tow plane for launches are sharing the creeping costs of the tow plane. Every hour the tow plane flies, it is ticking ever closer to the eventual overhaul. Every airplane that has an engine needs to have its engine removed, and essentially is totally rebuilt every thousand or 1500 hours. Also adding to the cost of an aerotow is the training required for a tow pilot. The cost is mitigated by using a volunteer work force in a club environment. At a commercial establishment, the tow pilot is going to expect to be paid. The cost of fueling the tow plane is rather unpredictable. Fuel that is suitable and certified for an airplane is much more expensive than the fuel you use in your car.<br />
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The advantage I'm most interested in is availability. Sometimes I see the weather forecast and know that it is going to be one of the best flying days of the year. Unfortunately, that day is a Tuesday. One of the disadvantages of being a weekend-only flyer is that there is a poor chance that the good flying day is going to end up on a weekend. About 28% chance, that is.<br />
Sometimes the really good flying days mean exciting takeoff and landings for the tow pilot. While I only have to endure one take off and one landing on the really good flying days, our tow pilot must subject himself to as many takeoffs and landings as there are brave pilots willing to fly that day. Sometimes when I come in for a landing on those days, I'm just happy I made one landing. To think that the tow pilot has to do this a dozen times on these days is commendable. Many times, the tow pilot will cry "uncle" after a few launches, when conditions are too sporty for him. While there are times the winch operator is going to call it quits because of sporty flying conditions, I don't think the number will be as high.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wY2LdUJhRQbPndB_-4DMwFCJ9-tP550cpGwtb-FaFk8tcTXOXQOn2f-XAfRrUx89FH6UVKtOq_ivOC7rtwajIF6zLJP90ouDz06fHWNlkwy3bOCS5q6J7Q6oRWOI1T-prrbbI3lT4VW4/s1600/_DSC_0041+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wY2LdUJhRQbPndB_-4DMwFCJ9-tP550cpGwtb-FaFk8tcTXOXQOn2f-XAfRrUx89FH6UVKtOq_ivOC7rtwajIF6zLJP90ouDz06fHWNlkwy3bOCS5q6J7Q6oRWOI1T-prrbbI3lT4VW4/s400/_DSC_0041+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Eastern Soaring Center's Twin Lark is ready for<br />
launch (yes, without a wing runner)</td></tr>
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There were only three people involved in this operation. The winch operator, the instructor, and me. For all winch launches you need to have a wing runner. If the glider's wingtip ever drags into the ground, the glider violently cartwheels and is destroyed. These sorts of accidents are often fatal. The only solution is an immediate release of the rope.<br />
To do this operation without having a wing runner, Brian created these cool wing skids. They are the right height, covered with soft carpet, and steady the wings better than a wing runner can.<br />
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After 9 flights with Brian, training me to do a winch launch, he was ready to solo me. We had covered all of the emergency procedures. We practiced most of these, varying from 20 feet of altitude to 400 feet of altitude. Depending on the point of release, we would do S turns, a 360, or a straight ahead landing after the rope break. Brian let me go for a solo flight, and I was excited as I was when I had my first solo at age 15, back in 1988.<br />
On the second day, Brian and his son Marshall worked to get me 5 solo flights in the Twin Lark. The airfield at Petersburg is long enough to stage the glider at 2/3rds down the runway. I launch to a satisfactory altitude of 1700 feet above the ground. I circled around, landed, and stopped within 10 feet of the previous launch. Brian hooked me up, and I was off again. I've never done 5 takeoffs and landings so quickly before!<br />
My next challenge is to do a winch launch on a good ridge day, and then go out and do a diamond altitude climb ( 5000 meters of altitude climb, 16,404 feet), or a 500 kilometer diamond distance course. Now that I'm checked out, I'm looking forward to the challenge.<br />
I'm going to recommend that some of my students come visit Brian. Especially the students who can't figure out that last few moments of flying phase. If you need landing practice, doing the winch launch is a great way to pound out some flights really quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYEupTTf8uSGFjO6bGrMI0maX8N_-TsFVifSKm-IeagMHfJyE4FMOqIEzMJqx5ZKhCyJ-JNFb3CVSg9sKzTXoGv-7X4or6_j8Vr8nXtCjvqVXLJLaw3LqOvn4GZtuuAiyXNDZSfvWkU0E/s1600/069.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-23751583617922759002016-08-08T12:36:00.003-04:002016-08-08T14:57:43.563-04:00Sunday's Post-Flight Analysis<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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Dear Steve,</div>
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I get a lot of information about my flying by doing an intense post-flight analysis after every flight. </div>
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I grab the IGC file from the PowerFLARM or the Nano, and upload it to OLC. Our flight on Sunday was a really interesting flight with some low saves. When it's a really interesting flight, with some low saves, I'll convert it to a KMZ file to look around at the fields I was looking at in flight. This builds a collection of off-field-landing insights that adds to my repertoire. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Follow along with me. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjntpbykbLOAhUm6YMKHY_6CygQ0EMIHg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fearth%2F&usg=AFQjCNEfRwEpUIaMo2tX3FA5_CzUKSRY_A&sig2=JNJOcNr1WmNmjPonvUd_3Q&bvm=bv.129391328,d.eWE" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Install Google Earth</a></div>
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Download this KMZ file </div>
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<a href="http://members.skylinesoaring.org/FLIGHTS/traces/2016-08-07T15:27:26Z-611.kmz" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://members.skylinesoaring.<wbr></wbr>org/FLIGHTS/traces/2016-08-<wbr></wbr>07T15:27:26Z-611.kmz</a></div>
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The OLC has an IGC to KMZ conversion program, but it's kind of ugly. They don't include many points on the track, and there's no detail about the thermals. I made the above KMZ file with a program I wrote, that's hidden on the members-only section of the website. I wrote it before OLC was a big thing. I had grand visions for it, integrating into our instructional program, but those visions faded away. You can convert IGC to KMZ with the link:</div>
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<a href="http://members.skylinesoaring.org/TRACES/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://members.skylinesoaring.<wbr></wbr>org/TRACES/</a><br />
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Pull up the KMZ file in Google Earth. By default, the Google Earth shows everything in an absolute top-down view. I find it more useful to look at the flight in a somewhat oblique angle. View everything at an angle in Google Earth by holding down the Alt Key (Windows) or Command Key (Mac), while moving the mouse around on the screen with the left mouse button clicked. Zoom in and out with the Mouse Wheel. Once you get a feel for navigating around with Google Earth, go find our low point, which was next to the town of Tenth Legion, VA. Each of those blobs are clickable, with the information that was recorded in the IGC file for that datapoint. </div>
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During our Sunday flight, our low point 2178 feet MSL (!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibogkNpVZ31ryeYKBHnTBhSPRP_yg65TFfEz975o2T8l1dR9a_F7fRjSxG3FipuZQjVgy2CaQDCptE7R5ZerO-zpwHCGJ8v4KoHvfM7IjEr8yzKLvgNuGeFKn5mKn7eXyAVzwONI56kDwH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.21.56.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibogkNpVZ31ryeYKBHnTBhSPRP_yg65TFfEz975o2T8l1dR9a_F7fRjSxG3FipuZQjVgy2CaQDCptE7R5ZerO-zpwHCGJ8v4KoHvfM7IjEr8yzKLvgNuGeFKn5mKn7eXyAVzwONI56kDwH/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.21.56.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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The field we were looking at -- the one that's at Tenth Legion -- looks like it definitely would have been long and flat enough for us to land in. I wonder what the story is for this field. </div>
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The field is at 1100 feet MSL, at 38º34'35.68"N 78º43'35.66"W. </div>
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You can use the ruler tool in Google Earth to give you an idea about relative distances. Use it to draw a line on the ground, and it'll measure the distance over the terrain. Let's see if that field sucked, or if it really was long enough for an outlanding. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg533JYT-KVQpZgMg22IDBwVOb2fUV89qT6jEMXGXsFFdGU1xnz0s6GOYO8-YlqylF8x5izqjUF4cAEoGRekjS2OnCS6OIgCvCTcE1e5MB5Eh86VipdyqApckhNyi7_1GD9_PJwpfdChgbZ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.23.26+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg533JYT-KVQpZgMg22IDBwVOb2fUV89qT6jEMXGXsFFdGU1xnz0s6GOYO8-YlqylF8x5izqjUF4cAEoGRekjS2OnCS6OIgCvCTcE1e5MB5Eh86VipdyqApckhNyi7_1GD9_PJwpfdChgbZ/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.23.26+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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According to Google Earth's measurement tool, it's 1200 feet by 85 feet. </div>
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It's a good thing that we found this thermal when we did! My "We gotta land if this doesn't work out" spider sense turned out to be right. We were down to 1100 feet AGL over this field I was favoring. </div>
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Let's take a look at the field you were looking at: 38º33'43.45"N 78º42'22.97"W</div>
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Hey! It doesn't look too bad! It looked kind of lumpy to me from the air, but the altitude differences weren't that much around the field.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2KDmA6n6-g6W3f75HGtxI2Pn_a65oMs9dkvhVaIOVh5L7K_0yxbdYdqvz12ur9p-yaGdHB5IimOwAxhnLW5WPrgGjBgcs9MSiO7LfuAcZNU2AMAida-1UZS2acEB2qzNUoh2iWnEIQAO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.36.09.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.8px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2KDmA6n6-g6W3f75HGtxI2Pn_a65oMs9dkvhVaIOVh5L7K_0yxbdYdqvz12ur9p-yaGdHB5IimOwAxhnLW5WPrgGjBgcs9MSiO7LfuAcZNU2AMAida-1UZS2acEB2qzNUoh2iWnEIQAO/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.36.09.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8992032775533586944" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="16" id="vpas5qc1znz5" src="data:image/gif;base64,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" style="cursor: move;" width="16" /></a></div>
You can figure out the elevation of the terrain by moving your mouse around and looking at the readout for altitude on the bottom right of google earth.</div>
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The other low save wasn't nearly as low; even though we were in an interesting position. On the Eastern side of the Blue Ridge, near Syria, VA. Low point of 3100 feet MSL. The mountains immediately underneath made it look lower than we actually were. We had a lot of distance we could cover to find more lift or a landout field. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PgraBRemM8AMWw-WGZjMpqQRkkpQsT8f1L8glM0MvQTe88J_LzKR5O4U8qDUnetf6uzBWTVqbn8bNLe-0UvpT9F38LAJEcPxqYtaAEuJYMeL1ucAUSDKJYj5DmOQS-rbbbu0qI0g1_FF/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.25.47.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PgraBRemM8AMWw-WGZjMpqQRkkpQsT8f1L8glM0MvQTe88J_LzKR5O4U8qDUnetf6uzBWTVqbn8bNLe-0UvpT9F38LAJEcPxqYtaAEuJYMeL1ucAUSDKJYj5DmOQS-rbbbu0qI0g1_FF/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.25.47.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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While we were seeking that solid thermal to get us out of that mess, the field I had in mind looks pretty good. 1600 feet long, but complicated by trees on the approach. The trees would reduce the usable length of the field, so that's a demerit. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyTg46dX2F0BPNX3cZtoHLs7-h0582sWva1hotFgHngpUQWQEUoWSxdhjaK7P1MaBwecWB-NG-BgqdH-vs046uB31F2CsVV40lmaON2In4jfi-Kssb6UNFTdsCrbq0Ar31ss34hVYYVc6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.27.23.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWyTg46dX2F0BPNX3cZtoHLs7-h0582sWva1hotFgHngpUQWQEUoWSxdhjaK7P1MaBwecWB-NG-BgqdH-vs046uB31F2CsVV40lmaON2In4jfi-Kssb6UNFTdsCrbq0Ar31ss34hVYYVc6/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.27.23.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Landing it on the diagonal would have given us another 200 feet, which is what I probably would have done. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw7m_P4nisCOrGt0TQB1bG4We-Zrt1y4N3rUJwRVuyOJps8UJjNWk8iXUYRrrfTtMOKn2hjLnvkEYBE4fdfCVBcHLIO457-I95C0sncjNmzq0YDKhe13VHAsuk-8EDv1koK-qkYtP9dfb/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.29.40.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxw7m_P4nisCOrGt0TQB1bG4We-Zrt1y4N3rUJwRVuyOJps8UJjNWk8iXUYRrrfTtMOKn2hjLnvkEYBE4fdfCVBcHLIO457-I95C0sncjNmzq0YDKhe13VHAsuk-8EDv1koK-qkYtP9dfb/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.29.40.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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There were many other options slightly to the north, between Peola Mills and Etlan, VA; just east of Old Rag. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hJEw8T6mVOeDopkbGJccWBYP4zgqlsm1u34I5jqQh8q6k4mqeos0por7SP957vpZAQxpsMZPLd53gvRwImhWkz50kCgLkP-qCFRhYj8V7szcOmMhqm6YiZCVPaxQfq38DhnXYLKm7qFJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.30.48.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hJEw8T6mVOeDopkbGJccWBYP4zgqlsm1u34I5jqQh8q6k4mqeos0por7SP957vpZAQxpsMZPLd53gvRwImhWkz50kCgLkP-qCFRhYj8V7szcOmMhqm6YiZCVPaxQfq38DhnXYLKm7qFJ/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.30.48.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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Here's the crummy photo I took from the iPhone when Romeo-Whiskey was turning too much for a good photo. I couldn't get out the phone in time for us to fly with the Bald Eagle over Front Royal. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhFGgWz3uQql7boyY-7Cx5do_OhmLVKEdl22wGfNX3iEGgaL6Re4_DGSDCLmHPHp0RS69RBBMLbCJ4LzQn-ocjs3ztsT_zLacPZjKmq7XVIkNOh4vx1pJvZPtXnv-ELBSLnOmhYjZJlLl/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.56.47.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhFGgWz3uQql7boyY-7Cx5do_OhmLVKEdl22wGfNX3iEGgaL6Re4_DGSDCLmHPHp0RS69RBBMLbCJ4LzQn-ocjs3ztsT_zLacPZjKmq7XVIkNOh4vx1pJvZPtXnv-ELBSLnOmhYjZJlLl/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+11.56.47.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, there was a really really bright light that distracted us for a while. What the heck was that light? We wondered if it could have been a helicopter with a landing light on it, pointing right toward us. We flew toward it, I turned to the side, and there was no horizontal relative motion; then I turned back toward it. The lack of horizontal movement means it was really far away. Shane quipped "It's a fishing lure", and Chuck suggested it might be that laser that they use to tell an aircraft that it's flying toward FRZ airspace. </div>
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I found the part of the flight trace and projected the distance out. </div>
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Projecting the distance out... it's pretty much right over the middle of the city. I wonder if it was a building that was just pointed out the right way, reflecting all of its glass at us, or if it's really something more laser-y. It's conceivable that it was a building in Rosslyn. Not likely to be Tyson's Corner. It could have been a glass building at Reston Town Center. </div>
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I don't think it was the FRZ laser system. That's supposed to flash red-green-red-green. This was a solid bright yellow-ish white. </div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_DC_Metropolitan_Area_Special_Flight_Rules_Area#Laser_warning_system" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/<wbr></wbr>Washington,_DC_Metropolitan_<wbr></wbr>Area_Special_Flight_Rules_<wbr></wbr>Area#Laser_warning_system</a></div>
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I bet it was some perfectly aligned building. If I had some photos of the light, I could probably figure out which building it was with some triangulation, while using the GPS information. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-hodKLEccahRVLPj22D7rNhOgIAtx0AqDCIh5R98Itkz6fNe9oCf_wMfNADwUWbkj6CiPUjk_o0Vby49YL2qpH0lsq5DfOLxbS72aeLZb8LQIABaQ3q1YqyEFnrTZ6vMXV871k_EWE4x/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+12.03.32.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-hodKLEccahRVLPj22D7rNhOgIAtx0AqDCIh5R98Itkz6fNe9oCf_wMfNADwUWbkj6CiPUjk_o0Vby49YL2qpH0lsq5DfOLxbS72aeLZb8LQIABaQ3q1YqyEFnrTZ6vMXV871k_EWE4x/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+12.03.32.png" width="400" /></a><br />
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<div>
One of the cool functions of OLC is showing where you were flying with other gliders nearby. Here, on our flight trace, you can see Romeo Whiskey following us along the blue ridge, and November Golf flying around us after we flew with that Bald Eagle over the town of Front Royal.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8992032775533586944" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi713cc5l3grPdgQ6RtG-k67DqrDFvvcr9PxbHyfHxk41rax93cko3IqR9xAV5G2pOUXWZczDqnKrt7QJNn3ls5j1RfahCwyy2OTLeunuPdwxFURoJUcBr56Ox5UNVJ6vB7vAiqThZZ2ZF0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+12.28.08.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi713cc5l3grPdgQ6RtG-k67DqrDFvvcr9PxbHyfHxk41rax93cko3IqR9xAV5G2pOUXWZczDqnKrt7QJNn3ls5j1RfahCwyy2OTLeunuPdwxFURoJUcBr56Ox5UNVJ6vB7vAiqThZZ2ZF0/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-08-08+at+12.28.08.png" width="250" /></a></div>
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I hope you enjoyed the flight and found it to be educational and memorable. I hope it gave you some sort of idea why cross-country soaring is so much fun -- way more fun than grinding about, around the pattern all the time. </div>
</div>
Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-63137440756522796542016-06-01T00:32:00.001-04:002016-06-01T00:32:54.274-04:00My First Glider Contest<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNLA6HSE3Xc1X0N4WuZnz2-5s3FuyL1sjnO8dIAX5l7dC_2-eosbLeDcb5UEP81nSR7bI9xiN7lxzYpgYLUI5odCEM7djYD-3D8B3hVrkPEYDdYpdC2VMw_54ScMXTi8b-Y-tq7eZJmtc/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZNLA6HSE3Xc1X0N4WuZnz2-5s3FuyL1sjnO8dIAX5l7dC_2-eosbLeDcb5UEP81nSR7bI9xiN7lxzYpgYLUI5odCEM7djYD-3D8B3hVrkPEYDdYpdC2VMw_54ScMXTi8b-Y-tq7eZJmtc/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The launching grid at my first glider contest in Mifflin, PA</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Armed with a freshly installed LX-Nav 8080 flight computer, I drove off to Central Pennsylvania for my first contest. I really was unsure as to what to expect from this. Sure, I've done a lot of cross-country flying before, but have never tried to fly fast. Only fly far, and keep from landing in some random person's field. </div>
<h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Day 1</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41vzrQpElwehqcGp7T0UPTBeg7mk0aJI7EefcDp0UvyixTWkPM10wqQDBUwkQRiqGkJaY7LY00ZjmkHa4cyN9RXN-o8CcM07iaRwfLZELKecnUtUpNOwzDUe3jQy0QuyhIY2H1oALDhH0/s1600/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41vzrQpElwehqcGp7T0UPTBeg7mk0aJI7EefcDp0UvyixTWkPM10wqQDBUwkQRiqGkJaY7LY00ZjmkHa4cyN9RXN-o8CcM07iaRwfLZELKecnUtUpNOwzDUe3jQy0QuyhIY2H1oALDhH0/s640/19.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister ships, N483KS "QQ" and N484KS "KS"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnk2SPsaXEfOvS60XrtqP1W-sO5-rBXfaUNxSk9BQL8b8lRyIoArdLCrfuG2xzROvr1gqXM_nBZftj3Ix5z_EAD-hlBca8HwMmnwPpoWgblaiihYY7VXTTH7Zhh7Ffu3iAYls2PQKRcT5/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnk2SPsaXEfOvS60XrtqP1W-sO5-rBXfaUNxSk9BQL8b8lRyIoArdLCrfuG2xzROvr1gqXM_nBZftj3Ix5z_EAD-hlBca8HwMmnwPpoWgblaiihYY7VXTTH7Zhh7Ffu3iAYls2PQKRcT5/s400/18.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"QQ" is ready for the first contest day! Evan is copilot in the front seat</td></tr>
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The practice day was washed out by some serious rain. I spent the time pitching my tent. I've heard stories about tents being blown away on the ridge days. I've heard stories of porta-potties blowing away, too. To prevent my tent from blowing into an adjacent farmer's field, I placed the newly-purchased extra spare tire for my trailer in the tent. The Coleman tent had a perfect spot for it, too. The spare tire was still in its shipping box, so none of that nasty rubber stuff would rub off in my tent.<br />
On Monday, our first contest day got underway. I had to learn how to program a task into the flight computer. Reading the manual wasn't particularly helpful.<br />
Thankfully, Dave Weaver is an LX expert. He claims that he should be paid by LX as a service consultant, and that he's convinced many people to choose the LX over the ClearNav.<br />
Although there was no more rain, there was still a great deal of moisture in the atmosphere, and the morning didn't look like there was going to be any flying. A thick fog filled the Mifflin valley, and threatened operations on Monday. <br />
The fog burned off, and the cumulus clouds started forming at around 11:30. The gliders were told to go to the runway as early at 10:30, for a noon-ish launch. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6M6Qyvws7HiaUutAiByVJhw1m7gJawz3GpYTKTtHwPF-lZ4XeWfv02l096uKSGNf983BQM-hp9Psf8FX98YuUtktXpN7mX2VQ0fB-mdJWEI0kazGX-77JTl7dcxp7TdVajh2Nv5mdBsk1/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6M6Qyvws7HiaUutAiByVJhw1m7gJawz3GpYTKTtHwPF-lZ4XeWfv02l096uKSGNf983BQM-hp9Psf8FX98YuUtktXpN7mX2VQ0fB-mdJWEI0kazGX-77JTl7dcxp7TdVajh2Nv5mdBsk1/s640/11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was somewhere in the middle of the pack of gliders. Far enough back that I got to figure out how this contest launch thing works. There is no time to mess around. Once that tow plane lands, a ground crew runs over, picks up the rope, and within 10 seconds, you're hooked up. If you haven't finished your checklist by the time the rope comes taut, you're going to have a rough take-off. No rudder waggle, no "are you ready?" You're assumed to be ready if you do the hookup of the cable.<br />
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Once airborne, and off tow, we quickly realized that something was wrong with the new flight computer. The variometer, while doing indications on the ground when breezes went by, was stuck at zero. The airspeed indicator on the V8 variometer was zero. The LX-8080 thought we were still on the ground, at the field elevation of 820 feet. That's no good. Thankfully, I had a backup variometer on board, but only had one unit in the front seat. The backup variometer had an audio tone, but it's really not very loud.<br />
The conditions were pretty marginal, to say the least. I got to the start height, and decided to start the task anyway, even if the flight computer isn't 100% operational. I exited the start cylinder. The flight computer refused to cooperate. "Dude, you're on the ground. It says right here, the field elevation is 820" It refused to start the task, no matter how many times I pressed the "Start" button.<br />
I was no longer able to fully concentrate on the task of flying into cloudy, rainy weather, with a new system, with a broken variometer, with a flight computer that was refusing to navigate. I whined, whimpered, and went back to the airport for a score of ZERO points for the day.<br />
I had a lot of time to think about how I might have messed up the tubes to the new unit, and while all of the other instruments continued to work properly, there were a few possibilities of oops that I made for the new system.<br />
The good news is that for that first day, many others also got zero points. The day was devalued, and the top competitor in the sports class, Karl Striedieck, got only 505 points instead of the regular 1000. So I picked a good day to get zero points. And I wasn't at this contest to be competitive, anyway; just to do some good cross country flying and have a good time.<br />
After landing, I opened up the instrument panel, figured out what I did wrong. I asked around for a spare piece of tubing, and connected the total pressure tube to the right place on the V8 variometer. After everything was in good working order, (or so I thought), I asked the contest director (CD) for a re-light. "I realize that it's unorthodox to ask for a re-light as people finishing the task, but I need a shake-out flight". The CD agreed, and a quick flight to 2000' showed a working variometer, and a flight computer that didn't insist that we were still on the ground.<br />
<h2>
Day 2</h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete and Evan are trying to figure out the LX-8080</td></tr>
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Tuesday was shaping up to be the best soaring day of the entire contest. Pete Maynard was the co pilot for the day, and did a great job of planning out everything on paper. We did what was a Gold Distance flight, covering most of the terrain around Mifflin.<br />
The final turnpoint was to the northwest, at a place called White Pines. The territory in this area was not ridge and valley, but more like eastern Kentucky. Lots of small hills, not many fields to land in, and a fracking pad every few miles. The thermals here were quite honest, taking us up to 10,500' at maximum.<br />
I had a lovely 45 mile final glide from this turnpoint back to Mifflin, with a nice tail wind along the way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUR6RoHOeK2082obmqSmqqIF7UpQDYoiHdUxGGwYQ4FY_qoQQhceBeaEovINsrv4ebXmRY4XzGI_HE_DJa9pzyZnOMifarZguc_Iy6sr9vqzkzNjkMhW44gSsKxO_iZrrtrXengFjQVoy/s1600/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUR6RoHOeK2082obmqSmqqIF7UpQDYoiHdUxGGwYQ4FY_qoQQhceBeaEovINsrv4ebXmRY4XzGI_HE_DJa9pzyZnOMifarZguc_Iy6sr9vqzkzNjkMhW44gSsKxO_iZrrtrXengFjQVoy/s640/17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northwest of Williamsport, PA. Truly unlandable terrain as far as the eye can see. The blue squares are fracking pads.</td></tr>
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<h2>
Day 3</h2>
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The humidity was starting to climb, but the soaring was still good. I took up Evan for the Day 3's flying. We had a 3.5 hour flight that had a good distance, but not as far as Tuesday's flying. Day 3's task was a MAT, a Modified Area Task. After the first four turnpoints, I got to make up my own turn points for extra distance. Unfortunately, the sports class was one of the last few classes to launch, and we didn't get a full day in. My last turnpoint at Sawmill was the last point that I saw any lift. I pretty much did a final glide for the last 20 minutes of the task, and landed 7 minutes before the minimum time on the task. </div>
<h2>
Day 4</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5VBd6g61FD4b8UeajFxCAeEIBjh3AbY_mMLtiI3BYeGb2m5U6fzjuDcNijsMw9lL3QYsRLwBb7gVYkqoMOl8Ro5gBd3UNrJyWCAXOZ_EdCehlTM5i-eCcV5ps0AOdkk0Qc9tgTHMvy2m/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5VBd6g61FD4b8UeajFxCAeEIBjh3AbY_mMLtiI3BYeGb2m5U6fzjuDcNijsMw9lL3QYsRLwBb7gVYkqoMOl8Ro5gBd3UNrJyWCAXOZ_EdCehlTM5i-eCcV5ps0AOdkk0Qc9tgTHMvy2m/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a> Evan and Pete Maynard had left for home, and replacing them were Chris Carswell and Bill Bank. Chris Carswell got into the front seat, and we had an aggressive task called on what looked to be a marginal day. It took a long time for the thermals to start developing. Many of the sniffers launched, and came back. We passed the time on the ground with umbrellas to keep the sun off. We were toward the middle of the pack. The standard class launched first, and Hank Nixon called back saying "These are really marginal soaring conditions" I made the mistake of sitting in the glider before it was actually our turn, and got sweaty for no reason at all. Thankfully, Evan left behind some beach umbrellas. "QQ was the envy of the fleet" with its colorful sunshades. </div>
<div>
Finally, we got to the skies, and I couldn't wait to go onto our course. We got a decent thermal in the start area, and once the class opened up, I was on my way. We headed northeast toward the first turnpoint, when the heat of the day turned into overcast, and no more thermals. Other gliders passed us underneath. I found one last thermal, and worked its mighty 0.5 knots until it gave no more.<br />One of the nice things about having a two seater is that the person in front can look at all the fields, and I can consider, accept, or reject them. One of the nice things about soaring in this part of Pennsylvania, is that there are a LOT of landable fields, and the valley we were stuck in was no exception. Chris and I agreed to the top 3 fields that we liked. Some were rejected after closer inspection (hay bales), (wires), (fences), but there was one that looked utterly spectacular; bigger than the airport we usually fly out of. I watched Dave Weaver land in a field, and India Mike (Marty) land right next to him. We still had altitude to make it into the next valley to find one more thermal to get us back to Mifflin. </div>
<div>
I told Chris that we were going to cross this valley to that... cloud... way ... over there. If that cloud didn't work out, we'd be landing in that field that we agreed was the best option. </div>
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That cloud, like all of the other clouds in this valley, gave no lift. I made the decision that it wasn't going to work out, and switched to "land-out-mode"</div>
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We flew a nice wide pattern around the field, getting as good a look at the field as we could muster. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google Earth view of the landing in the field. </td></tr>
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<div>
As we approached the field, a car was driving along the road. I would have liked to touch down in the first 20% of the field, but the approaching car was on a collision course if I just scraped over the road. I closed the brakes for a moment and made a high enough approach to clear the oncoming car. We made a perfect landing! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VpYPDbyr0D_DjavyBOVvcVyKJ3s-fynSjxLZUD4rJXDo31XF6_OepcIrynFL1P7cUukwiodkK2FC8T2RAUenePS4rADPRD-019QiKTJX-QNSbxkFEQYBZfGfTlEln9m_AtKtyzpPVqnm/s1600/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VpYPDbyr0D_DjavyBOVvcVyKJ3s-fynSjxLZUD4rJXDo31XF6_OepcIrynFL1P7cUukwiodkK2FC8T2RAUenePS4rADPRD-019QiKTJX-QNSbxkFEQYBZfGfTlEln9m_AtKtyzpPVqnm/s640/14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris is still in the glider after our off-field landing. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I was pleased to see that the landing roll-out was short, and that I managed to miss all of the corn crop, which was not much more than "sprout" sized. I'd like to say that I planned it that way, but I guess it was just luck. </div>
<div>
Bill Bank had just arrived to Mifflin, and was quickly on his way to retrieve us. </div>
<div>
While we waited, the friendliest people came to see what this big white plane was doing in the field. Two young Amish men, Daniel and David approached us with a team of horses and a hay bailing machine. They asked the typical questions one would ask after seeing a glider for the first time. "Well, we have to get back to work!"</div>
<div>
"Hey, can I ask you guys a favor? Can you help us push this glider out of the corn field and on to the grass field where those hay bales are? "<br />"Sure!" </div>
<div>
We pushed the Duo up a very slight incline, about 100 feet from where the horses were quietly munching on the hay bale they were about to load on to the cart and take back to the barn. </div>
<div>
We quickly realized that maybe the horses wouldn't like the site of this big white bird thing coming up the hill. One of them got freaked out, and the whole team of horses turned around and ran away, down the dirt path. </div>
<div>
David and Daniel ran after the galloping horses with a speed I've never seen before. David attempted to hop on board the hay bailer, and Daniel attempted to "head them off at the pass." I felt awful about this. </div>
<div>
They caught the horses, and brought them back. I apologized profusely, that a city boy wouldn't ever think of such a reaction from horses. </div>
<div>
The soaring was so terrible on Day 4 that my class had the day get cancelled. The points that I would have gotten for going out into the undiscovered country and landing out didn't count. I landed that glider in a field for nothing! </div>
<h2>
Day 5</h2>
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</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlN0-NsVtfOHIvB8BxKJek3ZBig2yeTP0TRGTQJK5XJKm_DMPrj4uCjjJTS9pdSSCvYMVYPiBSKT1XduP0tkGot0TqEuUGUysqVfkJOWJNW9Wd6vAssF0GlGv-bgZWbWOrz91-uBohnvo/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlN0-NsVtfOHIvB8BxKJek3ZBig2yeTP0TRGTQJK5XJKm_DMPrj4uCjjJTS9pdSSCvYMVYPiBSKT1XduP0tkGot0TqEuUGUysqVfkJOWJNW9Wd6vAssF0GlGv-bgZWbWOrz91-uBohnvo/s320/6.jpg" width="214" /></a>I learned a valuable lesson: don't get into the glider until the sniffers have confirmed that the thermals were working. We all hung out in the shade of the Duo's wing until it was a sure thing that the lift was working. </div>
<div>
The soaring day was much better than I had expected. The task called for a Turn Area Task. With Bill Bank in the front seat, we set out. I just blurted out of the start cylinder on course, and got as high as I could. I spent most of the day streeting along, stopping to circle only when it was a really good thermal. </div>
<div>
We saw a glider struggling below near Beaver Creek. It was India Mike, the same guy who landed out on Day 4. "There's no way I'm getting that low"</div>
<div>
I hate to downplay this flight, but it really was a matter of choosing nice looking clouds in the general direction of my task, flying to it, looking for lift, hanging out if it was good, leaving if it wasn't. </div>
<div>
Apparently, this was the best strategy of the day, because after Day 5, I was in second place in the Sports Class (after Karl Striedieck). </div>
<h2>
Day 6</h2>
<div>
Enough people had dropped out, withdrawn, landed out so many times, or scored so poorly that I could stay in the top three, as long as I didn't mess up too badly. With Chris Carswell in the front seat, I set out to fly a task that didn't have any serious mistakes. The conditions were much worse on Day 6 than on Day 5, but I managed to continue my "bop along cloud base" strategy most of the time. There were two different times that I really settled for some marginal 1 knot thermals when I needed to get on course, but at least I didn't land out. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpWPNUk-16SoGmZUhPZyMeHYkqkdwRSPfii5bTlnr1Ldrzg8V3xsCuuwP-I89UfLqGaxLvqZoa5B0coc8D6_uOths3nAcUdDmZ3X5Wvaln3gAliQE1zIt-W0yTr7A06LJK_aOQ95zl4Ki/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpWPNUk-16SoGmZUhPZyMeHYkqkdwRSPfii5bTlnr1Ldrzg8V3xsCuuwP-I89UfLqGaxLvqZoa5B0coc8D6_uOths3nAcUdDmZ3X5Wvaln3gAliQE1zIt-W0yTr7A06LJK_aOQ95zl4Ki/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QQ Returning to Mifflin on the final day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was the last glider to land on the last contest day (but not the last to cross the finish line!). I didn't turn in my flight log in as quick a manner as the scorer wanted. He drove up to me and gave me an instructional moment, "I don't want to bust your chops since you're new around here..." Message received. I handed him my Nano, and he drove back to the club house to get the flight scored. <br />
I managed not to screw up too badly, and placed third in the Sports class, behind Karl Striedieck, and John Good. All three winners in the Sports class were flying Duo Discuses.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuO6Olr24BB7lOWpbSEIa7NinKlsW94xD97ecoTse77EpWrslHJuBqdV3_1sEdVT12tUl0BD_s8tYSlOc49qg7EetYWGluyctBigJFVPmucRKadp1jC8XsOz9mZHeliqiaYPAJwQptqfN/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTuO6Olr24BB7lOWpbSEIa7NinKlsW94xD97ecoTse77EpWrslHJuBqdV3_1sEdVT12tUl0BD_s8tYSlOc49qg7EetYWGluyctBigJFVPmucRKadp1jC8XsOz9mZHeliqiaYPAJwQptqfN/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Region 2 2016 Sports Class winners:<br />Karl Striedieck (1st), John Good (2nd), Piet Barber (distant 3rd)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I honestly think that the only reason I got third place is because many of the really good pilots were flying as guests ( Mike Robison, Heinz W. ), and many dropped out or withdrew. I'll still take the trophy and place it on my glider trophy shelf, hopefully with many more to come in the future. </div>
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<br />Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-26535570404708200722016-05-31T23:27:00.000-04:002016-05-31T23:27:08.489-04:00VASA Cross Country Camp, Emporia VAThis past weekend I attended the Virginia Soaring Association Thermal/XC Soaring Camp (week 1). All of the soaring clubs in Virginia meet once a year in January. During those meetings, the presidents of each club (and a few key members) share ideas on how to grow each other's soaring clubs. We share tales of working with the FAA or the SSA. At the last meeting, somebody opined that it would be wonderful if all of the soaring clubs in Virginia could get together to practice flying in thermals. So we did.<br />
<a href="http://virginiasoaringxccamp.weebly.com/">http://virginiasoaringxccamp.weebly.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyS7oNec5ri8bbe4YPs2h6aO-LjCq0HucmnXnhEWs-TswUcRFuJFTaU3Z71vkkdonidNlaK5f_hAnOPlsosy7nHfPkD4mLmPpljrZLbI2SPQk5ccaxWLPxCEoeerd2C49McO5K69LoAf7r/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-05-10+at+17.52.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyS7oNec5ri8bbe4YPs2h6aO-LjCq0HucmnXnhEWs-TswUcRFuJFTaU3Z71vkkdonidNlaK5f_hAnOPlsosy7nHfPkD4mLmPpljrZLbI2SPQk5ccaxWLPxCEoeerd2C49McO5K69LoAf7r/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-05-10+at+17.52.55.png" width="316" /></a>This event is spread over two weekends, and we just finished the first weekend. Members from Tidewater Soaring Society (Windsor, VA), Merlin Soaring in (Ameila, VA), Shenandoah Soaring (currently in Petersburg, WV), and Skyline Soaring club (Front Royal, VA) got together in Emporia, VA. <br />
I left on Thursday evening to drive my two seat glider down to the bottom of the state. The drive was about 4 hours through the winding back roads to I-64, then I-95 to Emporia. The weather en route was terrible; heavy rain, poor visibility, and aggressive drivers zooming by me and my 2800 pound glider trailer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0T0S-MFt2w_AEROfT4Y1_4NjkwGgc4xLsx1THR1FPKn9rTSYSk8OkeKa7rdG1_6ptozJJZCvcPS9TW4RvzEmCUmPKAmhRxhqLQ88Qx2C-h7QgmMgICINqoge2mJgLwy4VJUsBIKHMk8K/s1600/IMG_3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0T0S-MFt2w_AEROfT4Y1_4NjkwGgc4xLsx1THR1FPKn9rTSYSk8OkeKa7rdG1_6ptozJJZCvcPS9TW4RvzEmCUmPKAmhRxhqLQ88Qx2C-h7QgmMgICINqoge2mJgLwy4VJUsBIKHMk8K/s400/IMG_3372.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you ever wondered how to get a glider around, you put it in a trailer like this<br />
(and tow it with a big enough truck)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Friday: We sat inside and looked at the cats-n-dogs of rain outside. We spent the time constructively. Jim Garrison gave many lectures about how to fly a glider away from the airport. The lectures covered many topics such as: "Off Field Landing", thermalling techniques, what speed to fly when flying between the thermals, and there was also a lecture on the etiquette of flying in a thermal with many other gliders.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fPD0YMzck6Qo68-9CcFMIRMYqgPPWyo_88JRD2sYRPlQinQpy7CN94qRo1s41rTK6I-NaCktBtQCCLrghyphenhyphenUJyy-vEGtxq-noxpQW-Cac-YC2bGcIoL8IilRWRzxUtDXrAi5uO_A1f932/s1600/IMG_3391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fPD0YMzck6Qo68-9CcFMIRMYqgPPWyo_88JRD2sYRPlQinQpy7CN94qRo1s41rTK6I-NaCktBtQCCLrghyphenhyphenUJyy-vEGtxq-noxpQW-Cac-YC2bGcIoL8IilRWRzxUtDXrAi5uO_A1f932/s640/IMG_3391.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaring with another Duo Discus, "Tango"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the final day of Cross Country Camp, we finally got some seriously good soaring weather. I took the Duo out for a 300k triangle, with Pete Appleby, JP Stewart, and Brandon Pierson from BRSS.<br />
The first leg of the trip was from Emporia to Merlin Aerodrome. From there, we were to go to an airport called William Tuck airport, right on the North Carolina - Virginia border. Then back to Emporia.<br />
The soaring was excellent on the first third of the trip, but much worse on the second leg. Once we got to Merlin, the 6 and 7 knot thermals turned into 2 and 3 knot thermals. I limped along between the two Military Operations Areas of Farmville and Pickett.<br />
As I got south of the Farmville MOA, I looked at a blue sky ahead, and not many prospects for good soaring. I turned and headed home, 15 miles short of the second turnpoint. The rest of the trip was pretty easy, with a 15 knot tail wind.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8992032775533586944.post-13799173597616552452016-05-31T23:22:00.002-04:002016-05-31T23:22:54.251-04:00Installing the LX-Nav Flight ComputerEarlier this year, Shane convinced me to sign up for the contest in Mifflin. "All you have to do is not mess up, fly safely, make it around the course, and you'll be in the top third for the Sports Class."<br /><br />Doesn't seem that hard. I fly pretty conservatively, don't land out often (with a few exceptions), and can make it around most courses. Let's give it a shot!<br /><br />Four weeks prior to the beginning of the contest, I did my best effort to get the PowerFLARM Core unit installed, and acting as the GPS source for my ILEC SN-10 flight computer. I spent two beautiful soaring days on the ground trying every wiring combination, scratching my head, reviewing the documentation for the SN-10 and PowerFLARM, and finally gave up. After a consultation with Dave Nadler of ILEC, we determined that the problem might be due to a bad serial port on the SN-10. I'd have to send the unit to ILEC for servicing.<br />
<br />
I was so frustrated with that old thing that I swore, "If it's coming out of the instrument panel [for servicing] It's not going back in to the instrument panel!" I was so frustrated with the SN-10, that I was ready to jump up and down on it after its removal and re-enact that scene from Office Space, when the frustrated IT workers took a crotchety printer out to a field and ended it with baseball bats and angered stomping.<br />
<br />
I purchased a brand new flight computer and set of variometers from <a href="http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/index.html" target="_blank">Cumulus Soaring</a>. The new units were an LX-Nav 8080 with V8 variometer. In the back seat, there would be an LX-Nav 8080D (that shares information with the main unit in the front seat), and an LX i8 variometer repeater. There are units that are larger, but I really didn't want to cut a new hole in the panel, and I don't think there is any room in the front seat, anyway. The LX 8080 is a drop-in replacement for the SN-10, taking up about the same amount of volume behind the panel, and taking exactly the same amount of square centimeters on the instrument panel.<br />
<br />
What this means to somebody who isn't familiar with the products: It's a small color screen that displays more information about my flight than I really know what to do with. The previous flight computer was designed in the 90s, and is almost 20 year old technology. The interface is kind of clunky for modern computers, and the display is kind of like an old blocky Atari gaming system.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAED051qk1hadgNyoTnIrKSw3TlUnlPk8rwVulnkds3sI-yum4id4_ZBjeIJsx2Pov-wBKeMrspUP5hsqsnw9RlBAiwuD57ll41307ROjYodtStK2u23R7AxVnXInIun97m9XhvfIxOAHI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-29+at+11.18.04+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAED051qk1hadgNyoTnIrKSw3TlUnlPk8rwVulnkds3sI-yum4id4_ZBjeIJsx2Pov-wBKeMrspUP5hsqsnw9RlBAiwuD57ll41307ROjYodtStK2u23R7AxVnXInIun97m9XhvfIxOAHI/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-03-29+at+11.18.04+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The SN-10 (as seen on my old LS-4) could only show monochrome graphics. Clunky and old-looking!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Every time somebody sat in my Duo, I'd have to explain to them that most of the information on the SN-10 wasn't valid. "There's no GPS source, so the flight computer still thinks it's in Cesar Creek, where Karl flew his last contest before selling me the Duo." The SN-10 is complaining because there's no GPS source. I've had enough with this dang thing!<br />
<br />
The new LX unit didn't arrive until a few days before the contest in Mifflin. Of course, I couldn't bear to fly that contest with the mostly-non-functional SN-10, so I arranged to have the glider in Shane's shop to swap out the old with the new.<br />
<br />
Removing the SN-10 wasn't particularly difficult. "Just keep unbolting things until bits start falling out of the instrument panel." I spent one evening getting the fuselage into Shane's shop, taking out the seat pan, removing the instrument panel covers (front and back), and carefully keeping track of all the bits I took out to get the SN-10 safely extracted. <br />
<br />
Instead of battering the SN-10 into dust, or shipping it to ILEC for servicing, JP Stewart has asked for it. I'll happily get rid of it, so it can have a new happy home at BRSS in New Castle, VA.<br />
<br />
Installation of the new unit got much easier when we removed the nose wheel. Fishing the cables down the throat of the cable hole, down under the seat pan is much easier when I can reach in where the nose wheel is supposed to be, and route cables through the front. I wish I knew this when I had the PowerFLARM installed a few months ago.<br />
<br />
Once all of the LX-Nav parts were installed, I had an A&P look over my work, and sign it off. There was a brief moment of cautious confidence when we turned the whole system on. Despite reading all instructions and installation manuals thoroughly, there's just that uneasy moment when turning on that sort of unit for the first time. We called it "The moment of 'poof'", because if something got wired incorrectly, something was going to go poof and release the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_smoke" target="_blank">magic smoke</a>.<br />
<br />
Nothing went poof, so after we turned it on, replaced all of the instrument panel covers and seat pans, I put the glider back into the trailer and drove off to Mifflin on Saturday afternoon. The contest's practice day was Sunday, but I wasn't likely to get any practice days to shake out any issues I might find with the new system. A very big rain storm canceled soaring operations from Virginia to New York, and was doubtlessly going to cancel my shakeout flight on the practice day.<br />
<br />
I drove to Mifflin in the rain, in the dark, with some pretty sketchy directions from Google, that took me over a very dark mountain. I enraged many pickup drivers as I gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles and insisted on driving the speed limit on two-lane roads to the soaring contest. I arrived on Saturday at 11:00 PM, and once I dropped off the trailer, I headed to a Super 8 Motel in State College, PA.Piet Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02069578857775948688noreply@blogger.com0