Training Wed. 6-25

Training last night was a definite challenge with a strong SW component to make the launches a challenge. Everyone stepped up to the plate doing crosswind launches and corrected some early mistakes to have a good learning experience. Add to it the pressure of having roving reporters and camera crews, spectators and students flying their own gliders made it interesting, eventful but very positive in the end. Congrats to all who attended, well done.

As you can see by this batch of photos the comp atmosphere at the ECC is real stressful, in the first the Spears are hard at work working out their strategy for the day's flying and retrieval, you can see the stress written all over their faces.

The next is some kind of Egret or Heron we saw at the beach.

And the third is a picture of the camera mount that Mr. bill built for his glider. PVC and standard hardware that is fully adjustable and solid as hell. I have more pics of it if anyone is interested and I am building one now. I will let you know how it comes out.

It is one example of what you can learn from the very talented group assembled at a comp. I had just to ask and Mark, Linda, Kevin Carter, Jonny Durand or any one of a bunch of great pilots would gladly help set up my GPS or Vario, discuss the conditions and thoughts about the day, or just give a great neck and shoulder massage to a stressed out pilot(thanks Dana you're the greatest). If you have ever thought about doing a comp I would repeat Mr. Frutiger's advice and say the ECC and Maryland is a great place to learn XC. Fields bigger than anything we have to land in anywhere in the Finger lakes, as far as the eye can see, friendly landowners, and a family of pilots that are out to have a great time combines with a first class facility to create an atmosphere that can't be beat. Now if Sonny can control the weather we will be set.

See you there next year.

ECC pictures

Being the first comp I was ever in I figured I needed some high octane fuel to help compete so the first pic is me fueling up at the avgas pump.
In the second the world champ shows his style in "puddle boarding" and proves he's got it in more than hang gliding. Here is Jonny Durand staying dry on the slolom course.
Number three is Lake Ridgely a mysterious lake that would form and disapear within hours bringing with it what sounded like thousands of frogs at night.
The last is of Bill (Mr. Bill) Schell driver extrodinare out on the kite board on a non flyable day. Rumor has it he flew 65mile out from the Florida Ridge yesterday. Way to go Mr. Bill.
They say that more pilots get hurt on non flyable day than when flying, you can start to see why in a couple of these pics.

ECC day 7

It was a steamy day with temps hitting 100 and really high humidity again. I was melting on the ground and finally got into the air with cooler temperatures at a couple grand and loving it. It was a struggle to stay up with the gaggle with really light lift again today. I could never quite get up to Linda, Campbell and Jamie Sheldon and when they went on glide down the course line even though I was only at 1600' I went with them. They stopped to climb just west of the town of Greensboro and when I got there I was only at 600'. There were a few turkey vultures turning over a corn field so I joined them and worked back up to 900' and stayed there for the next 15 minutes. I watched as Linda and crew climbed out above the town and continued on course but I did not have enough altitude to cross over the town and no landable areas. I eventually lost the thermal I had as it drifted over the town and was soon on the ground with 4 other sport class pilots already on the ground.
We broke down in the extreme heat and went back for the pool, party and awards ceremonies. Mark ended up in 17th, Linda in 19th(1st in women's), Daniel and Bob DNF today and ended up in 5th and 6th respectively in the rigid class.
In the sport class the longest flight was 7 miles and most of us fell into the field next to "Squid Cemetery" we knick named due to five of us sport pilots decking it together 1.5 miles from launch. I got 5th for the day, twenty points and finished third for the meet.
What a gas, I got a short flight but almost climbed out, was flying with the buzzards and had one fifteen feet below me checking me out, and other than the heat enjoyed every single second of it.
I will post some pics soon and link a couple videos of the non flying activities soon.


Flights- 1
34 min.
1.5 miles XC

ECC day 6

Another light lift day with temps at 95 and the humidity even higher the wind was light and crossed so launch was not a problem. The first tow I broke a weak link twenty seconds after leaving the cart and with the tugs having the 914 turbo's I was plenty high enough to drop the landing gear and have a nice landing just off the end of the run way. The tugs have some serious power and climb like crazy but have a lot of pull coming off the ground so I will need a new weak link each tow from now on. As I was waiting to launch there was a large gaggle circling to the north and getting lower and lower, then the sky rained gliders as the whole gaggle came down at once. It was exciting to watch twenty gliders fight it out for air space and landing options with some choosing to spin down fast and beat the pack and others going to best glide to eek out a little more time. They all got down safely with nothing more than a light whack by a couple.
The next tow went well and I signaled the tug pilot to take me north as I was not planning on coming back. I went on a death glide right off tow and stopped only once to circle in a stinky thermal right over some chicken coops, we are talking thousands of them smelly creatures in each coop and there were about a dozen coops, the best I could do was zero sink so I left after a couple turns and continued down the course line. I picked a huge field and set up and landed at 4.4 miles, 6 tenths of a mile short of the edge of the start circle. No one else in the sport class made it much further and the day was only worth 1 point to any one that flew so the stats remain the same.
One thing I found out today is that Dan Braddo, the guy leading, is a master rated pilot with over 30 years experience so it doesn't hurt as bad being behind him. :o)
This stuff is a blast I would highly recommend the experience to anyone wanting to XC.

Flights: 1
12 min.
4.4 miles XC

ECC day 5

No more storms today but very soft conditions, there is standing water everywhere and it started overcast and very humid. I lost about a gallon of liquid while setting up and getting ready for the task. Thanks to my lovely daughter and ace driver Ron they kept me hydrated and supplied while waiting.
A twenty four mile task was called to Hidden Hills and the wait began. No one wanted to go first and finally the wind dummy stayed up and Daniel Spears launched. He spent the next half hour struggling at a 1000-1500' and looked like he was coming in to land when he caught something and went to base(2000') and left on course. Then the flexies started going so I jumped in line hoping to pimp shamelessly off some of the better pilots. I kept getting pushed further and further back in line by the priority staged pilots(committee members and top ten open class) and finally got to launch. The tug pilot waved me off at 1500' in nothing but sink and I was soon back on the ground. Tow 2 was better but I spent the next 25 min. going from 1100' to 1900' with four other gliders and finally lost it and landed again. I had to promise the launch babes I would not return to get another tow and I shalt not lie. I got off tow at 2000' and took a couple turns, found nothing and pulled VG made myself small and went on a death glide down the course line.
I never found any thing but I started to notice other gliders on the ground below me and started feeling better at little. I passed over an ATOS and it turned out to be Bob then saw another glider in a very landable field below so I flew as far down the course as I could then came back to land next to him.
Turns out no one did much better I took 5th for the day and am still in 3rd overall.

Three flights
45 min.
31/2 miles XC

ECC day 2

What a great day, it started when I found out I won the day yesterday and continued as a 26.8 mile down wind task was called from Ridgely to Pevey a small grass strip to the south east. Everyone had the same start time so the sport class started launching shortly after the start time of 12:45. The prediction was for improving conditions as the day progressed so I decided to hand back and wait for the open class and rigids to go. They all went at once and I found myself near the end of the launch line in 90 degree heat waiting. I had a good tow in a strong cross wind and got dropped off in a small disorganized thermal right over the field. It took a long time to climb out and I finally made it to 3000' with one sport class and four open class and Bob Roth on his Atos. I left when they did but 3-400' lower and followed them down the course line. Watching them and going to them we covered a bunch of ground and three or four climbs one to 4800' we got to the place where our paths diverged and Brian the other sport pilot and I headed east towards Pevey. My vario said I had it with 1500' to spare but I stopped for one more climb to be sure and made it to goal with 2000' to spare. Brian came screaming in over me and broke the cylinder first and beat me by a minute or two. I am still totally stoked. YAHOO

1 flight
1hr 24min
27 miles XC

ECC day 1

After arriving a day early to get a little airtime and a couple mellow tows it turns out that we get lots of rain heavy wind a broken tent pole and a gallon of water in the tent instead. I was just not prepared for the first day of the comp by any stretch of the imagination. I learned how to put a competition route in my 5030, Garmin and tried to get myself mentally prepared for the first aerotow I have done since last October. The wind was crankin and I had a good launch and tow and refused to get off till the tug pilot waved me off, at 2100' we hit a doosey and he waved me off. I was able to climb to 3900' and when I saw another sport class pilot leave 500' below I did what Linda has taught me well and pimped off him hard. The first mile or so we dolphin flew and gained a little then flew out to a blue hole and got nothing but little blips on the vario. I got as small and tight as I could and pulled full VG and went as far as I could, 7 miles and nothin', I picked a big field when I was below 800' and set up to land but got broken lift at 500' and spent the next 5 min. trying to get a ride back up. No such luck, I waffled between 5-600' then lost it and landed in a bean field a couple hundred yards from a farm house. The farmers wife came out to see if I was ok and was smiling almost as big as I was as I told her about hang gliding. She offered me a ride and gave me some water which was great considering I pulled the drink tube off my Camel Back and had dumped all my water down my back and wished me well. Ron and Bob showed up right as I finished packing up and we headed back.

1flight
7 miles XC
34 minutes